New PAD Task Force Joins Lawmakers in Calling for Policies to Reduce

Amputations for Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease

PAD Task Force urges lawmakers to support establishment of intragovernmental workgroup on

amputation reduction and oppose proposed Medicare cuts to PAD treatments.

Washington, DC, September 06, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Members of the newly formed PAD Task Force -
including the Association of Black Cardiologists, CardioVascular Coalition, Preventative Cardiovascular
Nurse Association and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions - today commended
Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-3) and Congressman Donald Payne (NJ-10) for sponsoring a Capitol
Hill briefing yesterday to raise awareness about the risks of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and the need
for policies to reduce preventable amputations.

PAD is a limb-threatening circulatory condition, that when left undiagnosed and untreated can result in
lower-limb amputation. It is exacerbated by conditions like diabetes, chronic hypertension and renal
disease, which are most prevalent in minority populations. According to estimates, PAD results in
180,000 amputations annually in the United States. These non-traumatic amputations often occur without
any diagnostic testing, meaning PAD patients are losing limbs before they receive the testing to determine
if limb-saving treatments are an option.

“I applaud Congressmen Payne and Paulsen for sponsoring today's briefing and offering us a platform to
call attention to the devastating impact of PAD on communities across the country, particularly minority
populations that disproportionately experience preventable amputations,” said Bryan Fisher, moderator of
today's briefing and a member of the CardioVascular Coalition. “As we recognize PAD Awareness
Month this September, we are urging policymakers to work with us to advance a comprehensive strategy
to combat PAD in the United States that includes increased screening for at-risk patients as well as access
to multidisciplinary care and vascular evaluations.”

Earlier this year, 32 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter - lead by Congressmen
Paulsen and Payne - urging the Department of Health and Human Services and the Veterans Health
Administration to adopt a national strategy to reduce non-traumatic amputations through increased
awareness of peripheral artery disease (PAD), increased screenings for at risk populations, and improved
access to multidisciplinary care.

Speakers at yesterday's briefing included representatives from the PAD Task Force, which was formed to
collectively advance a comprehensive strategy that combines increased public awareness and robust
screening with non-amputation treatment measures and multidisciplinary care. Specifically, the PAD
Task Force is asking the Administration to convene an intragovernmental workgroup to develop a
standardized model for amputation reduction and raise awareness on the issue.

“As a member of the PAD Task Force, The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
looks forward to with working with others in the vascular care community to advocate for the creation of
an intragovernmental workgroup on amputation reduction. It is past time for a meaningful solution to this

Page 1/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use
complex problem, which can only be achieved through enhanced screening, vascular evaluations before
amputation and an emphasis on multidisciplinary care,” said Ehrin J. Armstrong, MD, MSc, MAS,
FSCAI.

The Administration has the capacity to take significant steps towards the total elimination of PAD-related
non-traumatic amputations by convening an intragovernmental workgroup to develop a standardized
model for amputation reduction, which can be modeled after existing programs including the Department
of Veterans Affairs' Preventing Amputations in Veterans Everywhere (PAVE) program.

Further, members of the PAD Task Force are asking lawmakers to urge the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) to prevent cuts of 30 percent or more to revascularization procedures used to
treat PAD included in the 2019 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule. Stakeholders are concerned
the cuts stem from CMS' proposal to update equipment and supply pricing data in the Medicare Physician
Fee Schedule database based on inaccurate and incomplete data.

“We hope lawmakers in Congress will support the delivery of quality PAD care, oppose deep Medicare
cuts to PAD treatments and advance the establishment of a standardized model for amputation reduction,”
added Foluso Fakorede, MD, Association of Black Cardiologists' PAD Initiative Co-chair and CEO,
Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi. “Yesterday's briefing is a positive step toward the
development of a standard model for PAD care and amputation reduction that I hope will save limbs and
save lives for individuals diagnosed with PAD.”

Page 2/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use
Contact Information:
CardioVascular Coalition
Ellen Almond
703-548-0019
Contact via Email
http://cardiovascularcoalition.org/

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/764036

Page 3/3
PR.com Press Release Distribution Terms of Use