Transplant Programs Get Delay inDecertification.

Federal regulators have delayed pulling Medicare funding from two small heart transplant programs, stepping back from a move that they had said was meant to signal a crackdown on centers that didn't meet their standards, the Los Angeles Times reported. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

In November, Medicare officials said they would decertify and withdraw funding from the centers by the end of last year because both had failed to perform the minimum number of surgeries required by the government to ensure proficiency. Both took opportunities to challenge the action. Montefiore performed no heart transplants in 2005 and two through Oct. 31 last year. Wake Forest performed two in 2005 and two through October. The federal standard is at least 12 per year. Link: www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-me-transplants13jan13,1,2751772.story