The topic of inappropriate use of stenting has been a hot topic this past year in several states including Maryland. As Immediate Past President Ralph Brindis, MD, MPH, MACC wrote in a previous blog entry, “To be perfectly clear, the ACC does not condone inappropriate use of coronary stenting, overuse or misuse of any cardiovascular technology or therapy. That said, what’s happening in Maryland is a prime example of how a negative situation can be turned into a positive opportunity to improve quality and appropriateness of care.”

Over the past year, the Maryland Chapter, along with the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), have been advocating for oversight guidelines for cath labs performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The Maryland Chapter has been diligently working to implement internal and external peer review, but as MedPage Today recently reported: “a Maryland plan to regulate stent procedures has elicited a push-back from local chapters of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI).” The “public outcry over” allegations of over-stenting have “spurred a technical advisory group to the Maryland Health Commission to recommend giving the commission the authority to regulate stent procedures as well as continuing evaluation of hospitals with stent programs.” However, “both the Maryland Chapter of ACC and the Maryland SCAI chapter said a better plan would be a two-tiered system of checks that includes an internal review that meets specific standards and an external peer review as an auditing mechanism.”

Although the battle in Maryland continues, their gallant efforts have not gone unnoticed, and this past week at Leadership Forum BOG Chair-Elect Dipti Itchhaporia and I presented Sam Goldberg, MD, FACC, governor of the Maryland Chapter with the ACC Chapter award for Advocacy.

As the famous Robert Frost saying goes, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” I applaud the amazing efforts of the Maryland Chapter who is working to do something more effective to prevent inappropriate uses.