President's Message
 Colleagues,
I want take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful holiday season. I am grateful to each of you for your involvement in the Ohio-ACC. 2011 State of the State Each year, ACC Governors across the country compile a report outlining the "state" of their respective chapters so that all of the Governors and ACC staff understand the activities of each state chapter. I thought that you might like to review the 2011 Year-end State of the State Report for Ohio:
Advocacy The Ohio Chapter held its Annual Legislative Day in Columbus on May 10, 2011. Twenty-three Chapter members met with state legislators and officials from the Ohio Department of Insurance. Eighteen members of Ohio-ACC traveled to Washington, DC for the ACC Legislative Conference and Capitol Hill visits September 12-13, 2011. For this event, the Chapter offered six travel stipends to FACCs, CCAs, FITs, and Practice Managers. On the legislative front, the Ohio Chapter co-sponsored a Supreme Court Amicus Brief defending Smoke-Free Ohio. Board members reviewed and commented on Senate and House bills affecting medical practice in Ohio. The legislative climate in Ohio has been quiet except for unsuccessful attempts to overturn smoking bans and tort reforms.
Quality
The Ohio-ACC Chapter was the recipient of the James T. Dove Award for Quality in 2011. This award was given for organizing and conducting a hands-on skills workshop for NCDR Cath-PCI Data managers. This event was attended by 72 individuals from multiple states.
Education
The Ohio Chapter held its fourth annual "Spring Summit" dedicated to CCAs in Cleveland on April 13, 2011. Forty-four Chapter members participated in this event. The Ohio-ACC's 48th Annual Carl J. Wiggers Memorial Lecture and Dinner was held on April 13, 2011, and attended by more than 79 participants.
Membership
The second fellows in training (FIT) meeting was held in Columbus on October 15, 2011. Thirty-eight FITs participated. Fellows' activities consisted of a poster competition, a seminar on job hunting and interviewing, and an oral research competition. Prizes were awarded to the winners of best posters and best oral presentations.
Chapter Activities
The Ohio Chapter succeeded in recruiting a Practice Managers' Council and selected a leader to head this group. CCA membership has increased to 183. Ohio-ACC co-sponsored two regional meetings in Cincinnati, Ohio, on management of atrial fibrillation and quality delivery of health care.
Chapter Development
The Board of Trustees remains engaged and enthusiastic. The chapter's educational programs are well attended. Advocacy events and legislative days are becoming more popular especially with CCAs and FITs. We hope to have a patient representative from Mended Hearts at State Lobby Day in 2012. We are also partnering with Mended Hearts in statewide programs of patient education. We will hold regional meetings for physicians, CCAs, and FITs in cities throughout the state. We will establish a named lectureship at our Annual Meeting honoring Richard P. Lewis, M.D., the first governor of the Ohio Chapter. We will continue to organize a CCA meeting annually prior to the Wiggers lecture. We hope to engage legislators for the Cardiologist for a Day program in 2012.
Sincerely, Robert E. Hobbs, MD, FACC
President | 
