Archives for January 2017

2017 Council Travel Grants Available: Application Closes April 1

Every spring, the ASE Foundation funds Council Travel Grants for trainees to support their attendance at the ASE Annual Scientific Sessions. These travel grants are part of an ongoing effort by the Foundation, in assistance with the Council Steering Committees, to encourage trainees to focus on sub-specialty practice. By facilitating their attendance at the annual meeting, these grants provide trainees with a deeper understanding of the imaging field, and cultivate the development of meaningful mentoring relationships with established imaging faculty.

Application is open to trainees in the following disciplines – Cardiovascular SonographyPediatric and Congenital Heart DiseasePerioperative Echocardiography, and Vascular Ultrasound. Previous recipients of an ASEF Travel Grant are not eligible to apply.

Visit the ASE Foundation Council Travel Grants page for application instructions. Deadline for submission is April 1, 2017.

Three-dimensional Echocardiography in Congenital Heart Disease: An Interactive Live Webinar

During this webinar, Dr. Girish Shirali will address the ASE guideline for Three-dimensional Echocardiography in Congenital Heart Disease, published in collaboration with EACVI. Three-dimensional Echocardiography (3DE) has become important in the management of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), particularly with pre-surgical planning, guidance of catheter intervention, and functional assessment of the heart. The aim of this webinar is to provide a review of the optimal application of 3DE in CHD including principles of 3D data acquisition, image display, and quantitative techniques. By the end of this presentation, the viewer should be better able to:

  1. List the modes and principles of 3D data acquisition
  2. Describe the application of the anatomic approach to image display
  3. List optimal sonographic projections for different congenital defects
  4. Compare quantitative techniques for ventricular volumetrics and functional assessment

The webinar is free for ASE members. Register now to save your space.

Specific questions regarding webinar registration can be sent to the Director of Education, Christina LaFuria, clafuria@asecho.org.

ASE 2017 Will Recognize the Best Research of the Year: Submit Your Work Today!

Don’t miss the opportunity for your work to be among the exceptional research recognized at the 28th Annual Scientific Sessions in Baltimore. The Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition, supported by the National Board of Echocardiography, will showcase the best research from young investigators under the age of 40. The Sonographer Investigator’s Award Competition will honor sonographer (non-physician) investigators who served as the primary investigator on their project.This year, eight abstract winners will be selected to present during the Investigate-Innovate-Incorporate Symposium on Tuesday, June 6! ASE 2017 will also continue the Top 25 recognition for a special group of researchers, and these lead investigators will be featured at various events throughout the meeting.

Visit ASE’s 2017 Call for Abstracts for more information. Submission closes Wednesday, February 1. Be in the know, and join ASE’s research community – submit your work today!

Receive a Free 2018 Membership When You Recruit 5 New Members

Who makes ASE strong? You. You make ASE the largest voice in cardiovascular imaging in the world. You know the value of membership and can share it with your colleagues. You can encourage them to join ASE to maintain the influence of the echo community. Recruit one new member and you BOTH receive an ASE-branded travel phone charger. Recruit five or more new members and your 2018 ASE membership will be FREE. Download a member recruiting toolkit to learn more.

New International Alliance Partner – Saudi Arabian Society of Echocardiography

ASE welcomes the Saudi Arabian Society of Echocardiography (SASE) as ASE’s 18th International Alliance Partner. With almost 200 members, SASE is a newly formed echo society under the parent organization of the Saudi Heart Association, according to the SASE President Dr. Abdulhalim Kinsara. The ASE International Alliance Partners program was developed to create a pathway for collaborations and shared resources among participating membership-based echocardiography/cardiology societies.

ASE Headquarters Closed-Monday, January 16

ASE Headquarters will be closed Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Normal office hours will resume Tuesday, January 17.

FDA removes the contraindication for use of Bracco Diagnostics Inc.’s LUMASON® in patients with cardiac shunts

Read the press release here.

Don’t Miss Out on Unique Learning Opportunities at Echo Southwest

Registration rates for ASE’s 30th Annual State-of-the-Art Echocardiography: Echo Southwest, February 18-21, 2017, increase by $100 next Wednesday, so register today and save. This course is held at the stunning Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Tucson, Arizona. A preconference Learning Lab, held in conjunction with the main course, allows nearly private instruction from the top practitioners in the field.

The Learning Lab features hands-on learning on computers covering topics that include: 3D Imaging, Myocardial Strain Imaging, Knobology, Diastology, Valve Stenosis, Valve Regurgitation, Cardiomyopathy, and more. The Learning Lab is being offered for a full day on Friday, February 17 and a half day on Saturday, February 18, 2017. This is an optional session that requires a separate registration fee, and there are a limited number of seats, so register today to reserve your space.

The main course features content that focuses on new technologies and techniques. A transcatheter aortic valve replacement workshop on Sunday, February 19 will be an in-depth exploration of the use of echocardiographic imaging in valve disease. Register todayDownload the Advance Program here.

The Who’s Who in Echocardiography will be in Tucson during this course as the ASE Board of Directors will be holding their February meeting at this same property. Networking opportunities abound!

Updated ASE’s 2017 Coding Newsletter Now Available

CMS issued some corrections to the HOPPS final rule. It included minor changes to some of the APCs that will impact some rates. ASE has updated the Annual Coding Newsletter to reflect these changes.

Also available are ASE’s coding webinar and a document to assist you in billing echo-specific information on moderate (conscious) sedation in conjunction with TEE. You must now bill it separately. Payment for moderate sedation is no longer included in the allowances for any TEE codes. If moderate sedation codes are not separately reported, payment for the service will be lost.

Please visit ASE’s Coding and Reimbursement and MACRA web pages to help you understand the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and how to comply with the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

18th Annual ASCeXAM® Review Course Advance Program Available

The Review Course has been specifically designed by ASE as a preparatory course for the National Board of Echocardiography, Inc.™ ASCeXAM® and ReASCE® examinations. The expert faculty, led by Roberto Lang, MD, FASE, will emphasize illustrative cases and will use case studies, lectures, and interactive sessions to cover all aspects of cardiovascular ultrasound that are essential to these exams. New this year, the faculty will walk you through ASCeXam questions after each session in addition to an audience response system that will facilitate faculty interaction and self-guided learning. Please plan to join us at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel April 29 – May 2, 2017 for this intensive review course. Download the Advance Program, register, and learn more at ASEcho.org/ReviewCourse.