The Use of Cardiac Pacemakers in Medical Practice
Excerpts From the Report of the Advisory Panel
- Council on Scientific Affairs
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
IN SEPTEMBER 1982, the Senate Select Committee on Aging reported on a year-long investigation of problems related to the purchase and use of pacemakers under Medicare coverage.1 Questions were raised about device performance, application of warranty provisions, cost of pacemaker therapy, and medical reimbursement policies. Other issues opened to query included alleged overutilization of pacemakers, the increasing proficiency needed by physicians who perform pacemaker implantations, the role of the pacemaker sales representative in dealing with the medical profession, and the essential equipment and skilled personnel required for pacemaker implantation facilities. The Senate committee recommended reestablishment of the pacemaker registry sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration until it was discontinued in 1980. The committee suggested that pacemaker centers be established to treat patients who need more difficult or complex pacemaker instrumentation.
In 1982, the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services reviewed the Veterans Administration's experience
Footnotes
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Report C of the Council on Scientific Affairs, adopted by the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association at the Annual Meeting, June 1984.
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This report is not intended to be construed or to serve as a standard of medical care. Standards of medical care are determined on the basis of all of the facts and circumstances involved in an individual case and are subject to change as scientific knowledge and technology advance and patterns of practice evolve. This report reflects the views of scientific experts and reports in the scientific literature as of July 1984.
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Reprint requests to the Division of Drugs and Technology, Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association, 535 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610 (John C. Ballin, PhD).
