A 120-page toolbox of clinical and review criteria guidelines/benefit interpretations for the title topics by procedure or test/exam. Resources include extensive current references and related web sites. Updated annually.

Table of Contents

Cardiology Clinical Review Criteria Guidelines

Acoustic Heart Scans/Recordings

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Ambulatory electrocardiography including Medicare coverage framework

Cardiology Consultation or Referral for Care

Chest pain/myocardial infarction, admission criteria guidelines

Cardiac catheterization, right heart; Central venous pressure monitoring

Cardiac Catheterization, left; Coronary arteriography; Angiography and Ventriculography

Cardiac Event Monitors/Real Time Cardiac Surveillance System – Loop Recorders

Implanted Loop Recorders

Cardiac Output Monitoring by Electrical Bioimpedance

Cardiac catheter or operative ablation of arrythmogenic foci

Congestive Heart Failure – admission, discharge criteria guidelines

Coronary Artery Disease Electron-beam CT (EBCT) Screens

Defibrillator devices, automatic implantable cardioverter

Direct current cardioversion, elective

Directional coronary atherectomy (DCA)

Echocardiograms, adult and pediatric

Doppler Echocardiography

Electrocardiograms, Cardiointegram (CIG), EKGs correlated with Acoustic Heart Sounds, Body Surface Potential Mapping

Electrophysiology testing (ET)

T-Wave Alternans (TWA) testing

Electron-beam CT (EBCT) Screens – for coronary artery disease

Endocardial Electrical Recording and Stimulation (EES), Diagnostic

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (ECP)

Exercise Treadmill Test (ETT)/ ‘stress test’

Exercise Treadmill Test with Thallium imaging/Stress Test

Holter Monitor - refer to ambulatory electrocardiography

Pacemakers, permanent cardiac/Resynchronization Therapy

Resynchronization Therapy

Pacemaker monitors

Pacemaker – monitoring frequency

Pacemakers/External manually activated devices to terminate tachyarrhythmias

Pacemaker reference list

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)

Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Procedures

Stents, coronary artery

Stress tests – refer to the preceding Exercise Treadmill Test sections

Thoracic electrical bioimpedance (TEB)

Thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction

Tilt table testing

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Guidelines

Cardiac Rehabilitation Services – Medicare Policy

Phonocardiography and Vectorcardiography

Screening for cardiac disease

Length of stay benchmarks/targets for cardiology diagnoses

Acute Myocardial Infarction LOS – reference list

Cardiology Notes

Cardiovascular/Peripheral Vascular surgery guidelines

Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy

Aortic Aneurysm Repair – endovascular stent-grafts

Aortic/Mitral/Tricuspid Valve Replacement and/or Repair

Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTA) and/or Atherectomy

Atrial fibrillation – ablative procedures

Atrial Septal Defect, repair

Carotid body tumor resection (Glomectomy)

Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA) – Indications, LOS

Carotid/Vertebral Artery Angioplasty and Stenting Procedures

Coronary artery bypass graft(s) surgery (CABG); Indications, LOS

Extracranial-Intracranial arterial bypass surgery

Heart Transplants

Intermittent claudication

Impedance plethysmography

Intraoperative Ventricular Mapping

Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Maze Procedure for atrial fibrillation/flutter

Microsurgical lymphaticovenous anastomosis operation for lymphedema

Microvascular Arterial Bypass Surgery for Impotence

Patent ductus arteriosus closure

Patent foramen ovale – closure indication

Pectus excavatum and Pectus carinatum - Surgical Correction

Peripheral vascular rehabilitation programs

Photophoresis, extracorporeal - Therapy for Heart Transplant Rejection

Post-thoracotomy Pain - Intraoperative, Intercostal Nerves, Cryoanalgesia

Pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation

Renal Artery Stenosis – Angioplasty, Stent Placement

Cardiovascular surgery risk calculator

Robotically-assisted cardiac surgery

Total Artificial Heart Replacement

Transcoronary ablation of septal hypertrophy (TASH)

Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt

Transmyocardial laser revascularization

Varicose vein procedures

Ventricular Assist Devices – refer to left ventricular assist devices

Ventricular Reduction/Remodeling or Partial Left Ventriculectomy (PLV)

Vertebral artery surgery

Vascular Laboratory Guidelines

Carotid function, non-invasive tests

• Duplex scan of carotid arteries; vertebral arteries
• Ocular Plethysmography (OPG) and Ophthalmodynamometry
• Transcranial doppler

Penile doppler and Corpora Cavernosonography

Peripheral arterial non-invasive studies

• Segmental Doppler Pressures and Pulse Volume Recording

Ankle/Brachial Index (ABI)

• Exercise (Stress) Doppler Test
• Peripheral Arterial Duplex Scan
• Digital Arterial Evaluation

Visceral arterial duplex imaging

Impedance Plethysmography, Limb

Peripheral venous non-invasive studies/ultrasonography

Hemorheograph, Medicare NCD

AcuTect/Scintigraphic Imaging for Detection/Localization of Lower Limb Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Thermography and Temperature Gradient Studies

Web Site Links and extensive references for Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery topics are listed.