President's Message
John S. Strobel, MD, FACC | 
Colleagues,
The Year in Review 2012
At this time of year, many of us pause to reflect on the events of the year that have passed and consider what may lie ahead in the future. What a year it has been for health care providers, especially cardiologists and other cardiovascular specialists. The uncertainty that surrounded the presidential election has now been resolved, and we now know that the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") is here to stay. We must prepare for the changes associated with health care reform. Fortunately, I am confident that the American College of Cardiology will help cardiologists adapt to these changes. At a time when many people are uncertain or even discouraged and pessimistic about our future, I remain optimistic that we will continue to have fulfilling and productive careers treating patients with cardiovascular disease.
Successful Smoke Free Legislation Enacted
On a state level, 2012 was a good year for your Indiana-ACC. The State Legislative Day in February was focused on pressing our government officials to enact a statewide limitation on smoking in public places to protect Hoosiers from the dangers of second-hand smoke. The smoking bill was passed a few months later, with much credit going to the many doctors and nurses who lobbied on its behalf. We should be proud of our efforts on this accomplishment.
New ACC Members
In March, the Indiana-ACC welcomed new Fellows and Associates at the ACC.12 in Chicago. Congratulations again to the new inductees. I hope that our new members see this milestone as the beginning of their involvement in our chapter. If you have not taken the opportunity to get involved yet, I encourage you to do so by attending the Legislative Day, the Annual Meeting, or by volunteering for one of the many committees.
Annual Meeting
We had a very successful Annual Meeting in October. It was a sign of the times that many of the topics involved health care reform including ACOs, reducing readmissions for heart failure, value-based purchasing, and measurement of quality in clinical practice. We received very positive feedback from all attendees. I would encourage those of you who have never attended an annual meeting to consider attending on October 19, 2013.
Be Part of the Indiana-ACC's Future
So what lies ahead? No one knows. Niels Bohr, the famous physicist, once said, "Prediction is difficult, especially about the future." But Alan Kay, a computer scientist has said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." I prefer the approach of Dr. Kay since I believe that we, as members of the ACC, can shape our future. I encourage you to help invent our future.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all,
John S. Strobel, MD, FACC
President |
President-Elect's Message
Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC |
Dear Colleague, 
I'm writing to ask for your help. 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 cross the finish line?
Contributing to ACCPAC is a smart investment in the future of our practice, our profession, and the health of our patients. During the 2012 cycle, ACCPAC supported the election campaigns of 122 candidates from throughout the country. Support was independent of party affiliation and was based on a candidate's policy initiatives and ability to forward legislation consistent with the ACC's commitment to high quality, cost-effective, scientifically based cardiovascular care. Members' contributions were wisely invested, with over 90% of the chosen candidates winning their elections!
Members of Congress supported by ACCPAC in this cycle will remember that the College played a critical role in their reelection efforts. With the implementation of healthcare reform 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 me, or Lucas Sanders at lsanders@acc.org.
Thank you for your support!
Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC
President-Elect
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| Encourage Your Care Team to Join |
 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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| 16th Annual Meeting A Success | 
The Indiana-ACC Annual Meeting held in October was fantastic. Topics included new health care delivery models, treatment options for heart failure patients to minimize re-admissions, CMS core measures, cardiovascular quality indicators, radial access catheterization, new antithrombotic agents for AF, and implications of health care legislation.
Congratulations to our fellows-in-training on the fantastic research that they presented:
RESEARCH: 1st place - Dr. Kruti Joshi
CASE REPORTS: 1st place - Dr. Aditya Boddu; 2nd place - Dr. Brian Veerkamp
ORAL COMPETITION: 1st place - Dr. Jason Garlie; 2nd place - Dr. Kruti Joshi
See photos here!
If you were not able to make it this year, you certainly will want to save the date of October 19, 2013, for our 17th Annual Meeting.
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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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