President's Message
Christopher J. Cooper, MD, FACC |
Dear Colleague,
ACC's Political Action Committee (ACCPAC) is just $4,665 short of its goal of $1,000,000 in the 2012 election cycle. Can you make a personal contribution today to help us cross the finish line?
Contributing to ACCPAC is a smart investment in the future of our practices, our profession and the health of our patients. During the 2012 cycle, ACCPAC supported the election campaigns of 122 candidates throughout the country. Our members' contributions were wisely invested, with over 90% of our chosen candidates winning their elections!
The members of Congress ACCPAC supported this cycle will remember that our organization played a critical role in their reelection efforts. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act on the horizon, as well as the looming fiscal cliff, it is imperative we have these relationships to protect the cardiovascular community and the well-being of our patients.
Contributing is fast and easy. Please visit www.accpacweb.org. Your log-in is the first letter of your first name, followed by your entire last name. Your password is your ACC ID#.
If you have any questions regarding ACCPAC or your log-in information, please contact Lucas Sanders at lsanders@acc.org.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Christopher J. Cooper MD, FACC
President, Ohio Chapter of the ACC
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Encourage Your Care Team to Join
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Participate in the CVT Recruitment Chapter Challenge!
The ACC unites the entire cardiac care team around one goal: to improve the quality of cardiovascular care. Please show your commitment to ensuring that all members of the cardiovascular care team are at the table for important discussions regarding CV care by recruiting your colleagues to ACC membership in this Chapter Challenge!
The ACC Chapter that recruits the most Cardiac Care Associate (CCA) and Partner in Care (PIC) members to the ACC between now and December 31, 2012, will receive a $1,000 Chapter Grant and be recognized with a commemorative certificate & through CardioSource!
Chapters must recruit a minimum of 10 members to be eligible to receive the grant.
Your nurse, clinical pharmacist, physician assistant and technologist colleagues will benefit from the opportunities for education, networking, information and advocacy the College provides. Additionally, we'll waive the application fee ($25) for any CCA or PIC who joins as a part of this contest.
Visit www.CardioSource.org/ChapterChallenge for a full list of benefits of CCA/PIC membership, and to download an application today!
The winner will be announced in January.
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Be Part of Cardiology Day at the Capitol
David Stultz, MD, FACC |  On behalf of the Ohio-ACC, I would like to wish you happy holidays. With this contentious election season behind us, I urge you to consider how you can utilize the political process to impact your practice on a day to day level. Although national topics such as the Affordable Care Act get quite a bit of press, there are issues at the state level that directly affect cardiology practices and the care of our patients. The Ohio-ACC has been a strong voice in support of medical liability reform, tobacco control, and even insurance concerns. I would encourage you to join us in Columbus, on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 for the Ohio-ACC State Legislative Day. This brief conference allows you to gain insight on these issues, and you will have the opportunity to meet with legislative offices to voice your concerns. Regardless of political persuasion, it is a very informative meeting that allows you to actively shape your future. I look forward to seeing you this spring! |
| 22nd Annual Meeting A Success |
The Ohio-ACC held its 22nd Annual Meeting in October, and it was outstanding! Special thanks to Dr. Laxmi Mehta and Dr. Joseph Pietrolungo for co-chairing this event. See photos here!
Topics included The Adult Congenital Heart Patient and PATCH initiative; Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Replacement (TAVR); Adapting Cardiology Practice to Recent and Future Health Care Legislation: Report from the ACC (James Fasules); Contemporary Clinical Pearls in Physical Diagnosis; and Fascinating EKG Interpretations.
New to this meeting was the Inaugural Richard P. Lewis Memorial Lecture. Dr. Lewis was the first president of the Chapter, ACC National President and was involved with ACCSAP and ACCEL. To honor his commitment to education, this special lectureship was created. The first annual lecture was presented by Dr. Patrick O'Gara, Vice President of the ACC, who spoke on Mitral Regurgitation. Dr. O'Gara is a superb educator and was also a close friend of Dr. Lewis. Mrs. Lewis was in attendance and offered some reflections of her late husband.
In conjunction with the annual meeting, we held a poster competition and oral competition for fellows-in-training. There were 38 posters and two finalists for the oral competition. Congratulations to our winners:
Oral Competition
1st place: Nikhil Panda, MD, MetroHealth Medical Center
2nd place: Nishaki Mehta, MBBS, Ohio State University
Clinical Research Poster
1st place: Dr. Muddassir Mehmood, Wright State University - Pulmonary Vascular Resistance: A Novel Method of Non-invasive Estimation and Association with Mortality in Critically Ill Surgical Patients
2nd place: Dr. Mian Yousuf, University of Cincinnati - Value of Cardiac Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography in Excluding Presence of Left Atrial Appendage Thrombi in 1185 Patients: A Meta-analysis
Case Presentation Poster
1st place: Dr. Suresh Keshavamurthy, Cleveland Clinic - Aortic Stenosis with Supravalvar Aortic Hypoplasia and Extreme Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
There was a special "Next Steps in a Cardiology Career" job-hunting session for the FITs. During the annual meeting lunch, we designated a special session for Women in Cardiology to network.
Mark your calendar for October 5, 2013! Dr. Rick Nishimura will be our 2nd Annual Richard P. Lewis Memorial Lecturer.
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| Looking Ahead to 2013 |
CMS released the final 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in early November. The rule unveiled major changes in cardiology coding for next year. Of note, new CPT codes have been created to report PCI as well as bundle EP studies with ablation. Additionally, the physician work RVUs that were finalized result in physician work RVU reductions of roughly 20 percent to the family of PCI codes and roughly 27 percent to the family of EP/ablation codes. The ACCF/AMA CPT Reference Guide for Cardiovascular Coding is your one-stop resource for navigating these coding changes. Learn more and order your copy. For additional final rule details on the proposed multiple procedure payment reduction; Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and e-prescribing participation; and more, visit CardioSource.org.
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| Quick Hits | |
Download ACC Connect for your iPhone, iPad or Android devices. ACC Connect allows members to search the member directory, connect with peers and colleagues, update their profile and get the latest ACC news. ACC's 2012 Practice Census Shows Continued Changes in Practice Landscape.
Jan 10 - 12 , 2013
Are you treating patients with congenital heart disease?
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| Save the Date | | |
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Ohio-ACC Annual Meeting Saturday, October 5, 2013 |
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