September 2012

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Volume 12 Issue 9

Editorial Staff

Clinical Editor
Bradley Knight, MD
Executive Editor
Laurie Gustafson
Managing Editor
Jodie Elrod
Production Manager
Alexa Flinn

Editorial Correspondence

Jodie Elrod, Managing Editor, EP Lab Digest
HMP Communications, 70 E. Swedesford Rd
Suite 100, Malvern PA 19355
Telephone: (800) 371-0791

Fax: (866) 488-8273
Email: jelrod@hmpglobal.com
EP News
Experts Praise McKesson Cardiology’s Single Database Architecture, Call for it to Become Industry StandardMcKesson announced the release of McKesson Cardiology 13.0, with enhancements acclaimed by customers and technology experts alike for its groun…
The 2012 HRS/ACCF Expert Consensus Statement on Pacemaker Device and Mode Selection: Trying to Keep the Medicare National Coverage Decisions Current
It has been the standard of care for many years now to implant a dual-chamber pacemaker in most patients with bradycardia in the absence of permanent atrial fibrillation. Such evidence-based practice is consistent with the medical literature. Despite…
Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) Update
As many of our members have probably heard by now, the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence (CARE) in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill, HR 2104, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives on March 13, 2012.
10-Minute Interview: Jeffrey Neuhauser, DO, FACC
Tell us about your medical background and how you came to work in the field of electrophysiology. What interested you about this field?I served a three-year fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia from…
Maintaining Safety and Sustainability in EP
In an era of shrinking reimbursements from insurance companies and increasing costs, it’s becoming more important than ever to find innovative solutions to provide optimal patient care and remain profitable. In my experience as a cardiac physician, o…
Expert Roundtable Fills in Vital Pieces of Afib Treatment Puzzle: The Afib Optimal Treatment Task Force and the Expert Working Group
For some healthcare professionals, treating afib can be a little like figuring out a jigsaw puzzle. Pieces here and there provide clues about the overall picture, but seeing the whole picture and being able to assemble a treatment regimen is a bit mo…
Women and ICDs: EP Lab Digest Talks with the Defibril-ladies
In this feature interview we speak with members of the ICD patient support group known as “The Defibril-ladies” from North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) at Salem Hospital in Salem, Massachusetts. Debra M. Halligan, RN, BSN, CCDS is the Clinical Leader…
Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation with a Coronary Sinus Trigger
In recent years, catheter ablation has become a preferred strategy for drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and for select patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.1 Though the field has rapidly advanced, the procedure is still limited…
Hybrid EP Labs: A Growing Trend
Hybrid ORs were born out of a need for vascular surgeons to be able to do minimally invasive and invasive surgical procedures utilizing advanced X-ray techniques. Accordingly, their most widespread use is for vascular procedures. However, as the shee…
Spotlight Interview: Northwestern Memorial Hospital
As one of the country’s premier academic medical center hospitals, Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) serves as the primary teaching hospital for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The hospital is com…