Message from Dr. Ed Fry

Indiana-ACC News

May 2013

In This Issue

President's Message

ABIM Announces MOC Changes

CCA Liaison's Message

Council Election Results

Ordering/Referring Process Changes

IRS Item

President's Message
Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC

Colleagues,

I would be remiss if, in my inaugural President's Message, I were not to thank and to recognize the service and accomplishments of John Strobel. He has presided over and guided the Indiana Chapter successfully through very turbulent and changing times during his tenure as Governor. His leadership in the fight to enact statewide tobacco-free legislation, to promote the Chapter's role in national and state advocacy, and his recruitment of CCA's, administrators, and FIT's into the Indiana-ACC family have been recognized both locally and nationally. Fortunately for John, and now for me, there is a long legacy in Indiana of strong Chapter and national ACC leadership. This has given our state a strong and respected voice. John leaves big shoes to fill, as his predecessors did for him. Although John officially ended his term as Governor, I know he will be a valuable resource for all of us for many years to come. Well done!

The Future and Early Career Professionals

With such a transition, now is a great time to look to the future of the Chapter. Despite broad, almost unanimous participation in Indiana within the College and the Chapter, we must recognize that the future of ACC, of cardiology, and for that matter medicine, is in the hands of the next generation of new Fellows and trainees. The importance of the Early Career Professionals (ECP) was highlighted at the ACC national meeting in San Francisco in early March.

Minnow Walsh, David May, Mike Mansour, and I attended a session dedicated to hearing from ECP's about their wishes, needs, and hopes for the College. Their careers will be very different in an environment of integration, consolidation, and accountable care. They see change as a positive direction, inevitable, and an opportunity for involvement. They do not fight it; they embrace and accept it. They communicate among their peers much more easily and frequently. They recognize what the College has done in stemming the tide that sometimes buffets our profession. They want to be engaged, to be mentored, and to be given leadership responsibilities early in their careers. Our task is to harness, nurture, and assist these very positive forces to build a better, stronger, and more inclusive Chapter and College. I look forward to being part of that journey.

Kind regards,

Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC

President

ABIM Announces Maintenance of Certification Changes

Make sure to visit the ABIM website to get a complete understanding of what you will need to do to meet the new ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements.

The ACC is helping you keep track of your MOC when you log in here.

Cardiac Care Associate Liaison's Message

Sheree Schroeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE

I would like to begin by thanking Mike Schroyer for his mentoring and leadership as our outgoing Indiana-ACC Cardiac Care Associate (CCA) Liaison. He has represented us well, serving on several national committees as well as speaking at national scientific session on CV practice management. Thank you, Mike, for all that you did as our CCA Liaison and all that you continue to do!

I would like to thank our chapter for awarding five travel awards to defray costs associated with attending ACC.13 Scientific Session. With continued budget cuts in healthcare, most CCAs are now asked to pay costs associated for obtaining their required yearly CME. These travel stipends were greatly appreciated!

Indiana-ACC Annual Meeting on October 19, 2013

Under the leadership of our state ACC president/governor, Dr. Ed Fry, the planning committee has been busy putting together a fabulous program based on your input from last year's annual meeting. There will be offerings on TAVR, Valvular Heart Disease, Health Care Reform, Value Based Purchasing, What Defines Quality in the Practice of Cardiology, and the Emerging Atrial Fibrillation Epidemic - along with offerings for Fellows in Training. Please plan to attend this fantastic meeting on October 19, 2013, at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Registration is only $30 for our CCA members. Here is complete information.

Key Items for You

It is more important than ever to network at our state level and share what we have learned as we strive to provided the highest quality of care for our patients. I thought I would share some key things:

1. If you have not done so already, please visit CardioSource.org. Make sure to create an account and log on to keep up to date with important topics.

2. Late Breaking Trials from ACC.13

http://www.cardiosource.org/Science-And-Quality/Clinical-Trials.aspx

3. I had the pleasure of representing our chapter at ACC's brand new program held in Chicago in April, The Best of ACC 2013. This was a fabulous wrap-up summary and would be a great option for members who were either unable to attend the National Scientific Session or, like most who do attend, were unable to attend every lecture. This event was very well organized. Upon registration, attendees were handed an ACC tote complete with memory stick containing slides! This is key as most only remember 10% of what we hear. We also need to hear something 7 times to commit it to memory. ACC hopes to offer this special session again next year.

4. I also want to share an article that was accepted for publication in Cath Lab Digest (CLD), on something near and dear to my heart, Peer Review. Here is the article graciously provided by CLD.

Thank you for selecting me to serve as your Indiana State CCA Liaison. It is truly a privilege and a pleasure.

Sincerely,

Sheree Schroeder, MSN, RN, RDCS, FASE

CCA Liaison

Indiana-ACC Council Election - Results

The Indiana-ACC Council Election results have been tallied. Congratulations to our new Council members:

Northern District:
Peter J. Chaille, MD, FACC
John P. Katsaropoulos, MD, FACC (2nd term)
Truc T. Ly, MD, FACC
Joseph S. Rossi, MD, FACC

Central District:
Dorian L. Beasley, MD, FACC (2nd term)
Michael S. Byers, MD, FACC
Ryan P. Daly, MD, FACC
David O. Kovacich, MD, FACC (2nd term)
Ronald Mastouri, MD, FACC

Southern District:
Geoffrey A. Day, MD, FACC
Chandrashekar Kumbar, MD, FACC (2nd term)
Steven R. West, MD, FACC
Eric M. Williams, MD, FACC

Special thanks to our outgoing council members: George B. Bittar, MD, FACC; Jeffrey A. Breall, MD, PhD, FACC; Kevin K. Hart, MD, FACC; Gregory J. Mazanek, MD, FACC; and Sachin R. Patel, MD, FACC.

May 1 Signals Changes to Ordering/Referring Process

After a lengthy delay, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that, beginning on May 1, it will implement edits to prevent payment for services ordered or referred by providers not enrolled in the Medicare program. The policy was first announced in 2009 and was delayed amid the numerous concerns raised by the ACC, the American Medical Association and others. Enrollment does not require that providers be participating in the Medicare program, merely that their information is contained within CMS' provider database. The ACC recommends that cardiologists check their Medicare provider enrollment information to ensure it is current and accurate. For details on the changes, additional ACC recommendations and a sample letter for referral sources, visit CardioSource.org.

Were You in A Graduate or Fellowship Program Between 1995 and 2005?

In 2010, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the exemption of medical residents from Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes based on the student exception for tax periods ending before April 1, 2005, when new IRS regulations went into effect. Since the announcement, the IRS has contacted hospitals and universities as well as medical residents who filed FICA refund claims for these periods with more information and procedures, and many ACC members have already received their reimbursements. Those who were in a residency/fellowship program in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005 are encouraged to contact their respective program's office of graduate medical education to see if they qualify for the tax refund claim. Read more.

Quick Hits

ACC Welcomes New CEO.
Read more.

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