Updated heart health guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology emphasize lifestyle interventions to manage cholesterol, but they recommend newer cholesterol medications for certain high-risk patients whose cholesterol levels are not controlled by statins. PCSK9 inhibitors are recommended for some higher-risk patients for whom statins plus ezetimibe are ineffective, and the guidance recommends considering cholesterol screening for children as young as 2 years old who have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease.

Cardinal Health reached a deal to distribute IRE ELiT's Galli Eo gallium-68 generators in an effort to ease a shortage of Ga-68. The generator received FDA approval in September.

The American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association have launched the Know Diabetes by Heart initiative to raise awareness about the increased risk for cardiovascular disease for patients with type 2 diabetes. The initiative will incorporate evidence-based guidelines for clinicians treating patients with both conditions, include quality improvement efforts for hospitals and physician practices, and provide educational materials for patients on how to manage diabetes and reduce their risk for cardiovascular problems.

Middle-aged adults who had the highest exposure to family environment adversity as children had more than 50% higher odds of a cardiovascular disease event, according to a study to be presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting. The findings were based on data for more than 3,600 individuals who were followed for 30 years beginning at age 25.

Data from the 17,000-patient Declare trial, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, show that AstraZeneca's diabetes drug Farxiga, or dapagliflozin, can reduce the risk of kidney disease and prevent heart failure. AstraZeneca said it hopes the positive results will lead to greater use of the SGLT2 inhibitor in more types of patients.

The CMS has unveiled a proposed rule designed to streamline the 2016 managed care regulatory framework for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The proposal would give states more flexibility to set network adequacy standards as well as develop and certify rates for managed care plans, provide states with a three-year transition period to meet the pass-through payment requirements, and prohibit states from retroactively adding or changing risk-sharing mechanisms.

The survey of new and revised 2020 PET and PET CT CPT codes is out now and will conclude on Nov. 12, 2018. Please check your email and junk email folders to see if you were selected to participate in the survey. We currently do not have enough surveys from PET providers for a valid survey response. PLEASE participate if you receive the survey. The email will come from noreply@qemailserver.com. This survey format will be slightly different from the July survey of these codes. IF you are randomly selected to participate, please take the time to fill out the survey. If you are not familiar with an AMA RUC survey, we encourage you to watch this video to learn more. There is a total of eight codes in the November survey. Each code can take 10 minutes to complete, so allow enough time or come back to the survey later, if necessary. If you do not understand a code or any question, please email Denise Merlino, and she can answer any questions you may have. More information.

Join your ASNC colleagues in the latest round of "What Is This Image?" Log on, interpret our latest challenging image and submit your reading before the Nov. 16 deadline. By a lottery, a winner will be selected among those with the correct answers, and you'll win an ASNC Gift Pack plus a chance to win complimentary registration to ASNC2019. Good luck! Learn more.