July 2005 | Vol. 23, No 7

2005 SVU Current Issues Conference Set for Nov. 4-5

Plan now to attend SVU’s 2005 Current Issues Conference on the latest regulatory and legislative advocacy developments affecting the vascular ultrasound profession, Nov. 4-5, at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA, about a mile from Reagan National Airport. The Sheraton Crystal City Hotel provides free shuttle bus service from the airport to the hotel and back. This will be the first time since November 2003 that SVU has had a Current Issues Conference. Following the 2003 C.I. Conference the Board decided to hold this legislative and regulatory update conference only every other year.

This year’s Current Issues Conference will include sessions on:

• Overview of SVU’s Government Relations Committee efforts
• Latest info on the Medicare Carrier’s Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs), especially as they relate to including an accreditation and/or credentialing requirement for reimbursement for vascular ultrasound studies.
• Medicare Compliance Issues
• Fraud and Abuse Issues and False Claims Litigation
• CME Policy/Regulatory Issues such as the 2006 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and a proposed Pay For Performance Policy
• Vascular Lab Survival: Fundamentals of Medicare Reimbursement
• Medicare Audits
• Status of the SAAAVE Act
• And more

The Current Issues Conference will offer experienced government relations /reimbursement speakers from both the vascular ultrasound profession, such as Bill Schroedter, Frank West, Anne Jones and Bill Sarraille, as well as from federal government agencies and Medicare carriers.

Program details and a registration form for the 2005 Current Issues Conference will be posted soon on the SVU website. If you are involved in billing and claims reimbursement for your independent vascular lab or a hospital department, you need to attend this important two-day conference. Make plans now to attend..