Physician groups launch national alliance to protect PET imaging access
Over 1,200 physicians have banded together to launch the Cardiac PET Alliance, fighting for expanded imaging access, educating policymakers and promoting the modality's role in diagnostics.
The group represents 101 cardiovascular practices across 24 states; the alliance said its member practices perform more than 400,000 cardiac PET studies annually, representing the majority of cardiac PET providers in the United States. Its launch comes ahead of meetings with members of Congress this fall in Washington, D.C., where group leaders plan to advocate for continued patient access to cardiac PET, particularly among underserved populations.
“Cardiac PET represents one of the most important advances in cardiovascular imaging,” Tim Attebery, executive director of the Cardiac PET Alliance, said in a news release. “Our alliance was created to ensure that every patient who can benefit from this technology continues to have easy access regardless of where they live or who they are.”
The organization points to recommendations from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, among others, that recognize cardiac PET as a preferred nuclear stress imaging test for coronary artery disease. It also highlights PET’s role in evaluating coronary microvascular dysfunction, which can be difficult to identify using conventional imaging.
The group also cites research showing that cardiac PET-guided management can reduce invasive coronary procedures by more than 50% and lower total costs for care by approximately 30% without increasing rates of cardiac death or heart attack. Access is another important consideration the group is bringing attention to, as patients in rural communities may have to travel long distances for advanced cardiac imaging. Mobile cardiac PET services can address this challenge by expanding access to areas without permanent PET facilities.
“By bringing together physician leaders from across the country, we are creating a unified voice to educate policymakers and protect access to this essential diagnostic tool as we continue to do everything possible to reduce mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular disease in the U.S.,” Attebery added.
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.