Indiana-ACC Newsletter, December 2023 |
|
Dear Indiana-ACC Colleague,
As we reach the end of the year, I wanted to share some highlights from our recent well-attended Annual Meeting held on Saturday, September 9, at the Marriott Indianapolis North. You can see all of the meeting photos here. A special thank you to everyone who was able to participate; it was absolutely wonderful to see everyone for a day of education and networking. It was an honor to have both ACC Vice President Cathleen Biga, MSN, RN, FACC and ACC CEO Cathleen Gates join us. We presented the 2023 Career Achievement Award to Douglas P. Zipes, MD, MACC, heard about the Importance of Career Flexibility in Cardiology, heard from our FITS about the Top Clinical Trials of 2023, learned about Infiltrative Cardiomyopathies (cardiac amyloidosis and sarcoidosis) , GLP 1 Agonists and Their Impact on CV Patients, as well as State of the Art Antithrombotic Therapies.
- Dr. Justin Arunthamakun, Advanced Fellow Case Winner, Ascension St. Vincent
- Dr. Eric Bain, 1st place Resident, IU
- Dr. Roshan Kaphle, 2nd place Resident, Ascension St. Vincent
- Dr. Bistees George, 3rd place Resident, IU
Join Us August 2-3, 2024, at French Lick Springs Hotel for our Annual Meeting
I am pleased to invite you to the Indiana-ACC 2024 Annual Meeting on Friday & Saturday, August 2-3, 2024. This will be our first-ever destination meeting, held at the beautiful French Lick Springs Hotel. The event will kick off on Friday evening, August 2nd with a Welcome Dinner at the Pete Dye Pavilion. Feel free to bring your family to join in the fun!
The meeting continues Saturday, August 3rd with scientific sessions targeting the entire cardiovascular team. We'll wrap up in the early afternoon, leaving you time to explore the area.
I look forward to seeing you in French Lick next August for what promises to be an unforgettable annual meeting!
|
|
Congratulations to Election Winners
Congratulations to Parin Patel, MD, FACC for being elected as the next Indiana-ACC President and to Angela Raymer, RT(R), MBA for being appointed as the next Indiana-ACC Cardiovascular Team State Representative. They will serve in an "elect" role beginning in April 2024 and assume their new roles in March 2025. Thank you to Deepak Bhakta, MD, FACC, for his candidacy, and we look forward to his continued contributions to the Indiana-ACC.
Dr. Parin Patel is a staff Electrophysiologist at Ascension St Vincent, Indianapolis. He is director of the EP lab, board member of the St Vincent Cardiovascular Research Institute, an IRB member, and core faculty for the Cardiovascular Medicine and Electrophysiology Fellowship programs. Ms. Angela Raymer is a program coordinator at Parkview Health in Fort Wayne.
ACC Legislative Conference
ACC’s 2023 Legislative Conference was Oct. 15-17, in Washington, DC, where Indiana-ACC members joined ACC members across the country to lobby for issues impacting our patients and profession:
- Provide short-term stability and long-term reform to the Medicare payment system to ensure practices can keep up with inflationary pressures and rising practice costs.
- Decrease administrative burden and promote clinician well-being by streamlining prior authorization practices.
- Expand patient access to cardiac rehabilitation services.
- Support coverage for peripheral artery disease (PAD) screening and PAD education and awareness programs.
-
Establish funding for secondary and elementary schools to provide education, awareness and access to defibrillation.
|
|
Contact Us
If Gwen Goldfarb, our chapter executive, or I can be of assistance to you, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Vijay
|
|
URGENT: Next Steps to Stop the Cut |
|
Reps. Ami Bera, MD (D-CA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD (R-IA) and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA) are circulating a letter to be sent to congressional leaders urging legislative action to address the 3.37% cut in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) associated with budget neutrality that will take place on Jan. 1, 2024.
This cut is in addition to a lack of an inflationary update despite clinicians and practices facing significant inflationary costs. Physicians are the only providers that do not receive an automatic inflationary update within Medicare. Medicare physician payments have dropped by 26% from 2001 to 2022 when adjusted for inflation. Clinicians cannot afford to continue to operate under the current payment system. We must take action now to prevent this cut from taking effect in the New Year.
Join your colleagues in using ACC’s grassroots action alert system to quickly send messages to your lawmakers asking them to sign the letter to US House leadership urging Congress to stop the cut that threatens patient access to essential Medicare services! Also, send a message to your Senators urging them to include a full fix in any year-end legislative package.
|
|
|
|
The ACC, Heart Failure Society of America, Heart Rhythm Society, and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions have announced plans to submit an application to the American Board of Medical Specialties, requesting an independent medical board for cardiovascular medicine that would pursue a new competency-based approach to continuous certification. “It’s time to have a dedicated cardiovascular medicine Board of our own,” said ACC President B. Hadley Wilson, MD, FACC. “…We know that the cardiovascular community is ready for an independent, self-governed entity, and we are proud to develop this new Board with cardiologists and cardiology organizations at the helm.” Learn more. |
|
In Memoriam: Dr. James Dillon |
|
It is with sadness that we share the news that Dr. James Dillon has passed away. Dr. Dillon graduated from DePauw University and went on to excel at the Indiana University School of Medicine, specializing in cardiovascular diseases. His journey of service began in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Lt. Commander from 1970 to 1972. During this time, he held the positions of Chief of Cardio-Pulmonary Medicine and Director of Med-Evac Operations at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina.
Following his service in the Navy, Dr. Dillon returned to the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he became a respected Professor of Medicine. His impact on the field was far-reaching, as he authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, many of which became seminal papers in the field of cardiology. Dr. Dillon's passion for education shone through as he shared his knowledge with thousands of medical students, as well as hundreds of residents and fellows. Notably, he played a crucial role in establishing the Interventional Cardiology Program and served as its Director until his retirement in 2004.
|
|
Indiana-ACC CV Pharmacists Workgroup
The Indiana-ACC is forming a cardiovascular pharmacists workgroup, led by Patrick D. Nelson, PharmD, BCCP. The goal is to increase pharmacy involvement to benefit the chapter and, more importantly, cardiac patients statewide. We believe CV pharmacists’ expertise can significantly impact care. This workgroup allows pharmacists to apply knowledge to improve patient outcomes across Indiana. We aim to unite CV pharmacists and cardiologists to positively impact Hoosiers with cardiovascular disease. If you are interested in being involved, please contact us.
Upcoming Free CME/CE - certified Opioid REMS Education
Clinical Care Options cordially invites you to attend a certified live webinar titled, “Applying Best Practices in Pain Management: Delivering Holistic Patient-Centered Care to Minimize Health Disparities and Adverse Opioid Outcomes.” This activity will improve the knowledge, competence, and performance of learners to optimize treatment for patients with pain management. For full accreditation information and to register: www.clinicaloptions.com/OpioidREMSevent
CMS Releases 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule on Nov. 2. Of note, the 2024 PFS conversion factor is $32.7375, reduced 3.39% from $33.8872 in 2023. Overall reimbursement for cardiovascular services is projected to remain flat compared with 2023, with changes to policies and individual services roughly balancing out. Individuals and groups will see different impacts depending on patient populations and services offered.
ACC.24
Get everything you need to transform cardiovascular care for your patients at ACC.24, April 6–8, inAtlanta! Connect with your colleagues from around the world, explore the latest science and innovation,and gain valuable insights into practice-changing-updates in care. Register for ACC.24, and get a one-year subscription to ACC Anywhere, ACC’s comprehensive video library, included with your registration!Can’t join us in Atlanta? Register for ACC.24 @ Home and join us virtually to live stream the late-breaking science being presented throughout ACC.24.
New ACC/AHA Guideline Focuses for the Diagnosis and Management of AFib
The newest clinical guideline released by the ACC and the American Heart Association (AHA) provides new and updated recommendations for preventing and optimally managing atrial fibrillation (AFib). The 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation updates two separate guidelines from 2014 and 2019, respectively, and includes new recommendations addressing AFib and thromboembolic risk assessment, anticoagulation, left atrial appendage occlusion, AFib catheter or surgical ablation, as well as risk factor modification and prevention. Among the highlights, are a stronger, more prescriptive focus on healthy lifestyle habits to prevent or lessen the burden of AFib across the disease continuum, including weight loss, physical activity, smoking cessation, alcohol moderation, hypertension and other comorbidities. Use of clinical care pathways, such as nurse-led AFib clinics, is also reasonable, according to the guideline, when it comes to “promoting comprehensive, team-based care and to enhance adherence to evidence-based therapies for AFib and associated conditions.” The guideline also sets forth a new way to classify AFib, using stages that reinforce the continuum of the disease and underscore the need to use a variety of strategies, including prevention, lifestyle and risk factor modification, screening, and therapy. Additionally, early and more aggressive rhythm control in general is addressed, along with upgraded recommendations for catheter ablation as first-line therapy to prevent disease progression in select patients, including those with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Restrictive Covenants and Non-Compete Clauses
Attention NPs and PAs
Demonstrate your clinical knowledge and commitment to cardiovascular excellence by taking and passing ACC's Certified Cardiovascular Knowledge Examination (CCKE). Find out more.
CardioSmart is the ACC’s dedicated home for patient tools and resources, including infographics, shared decision-making aids, and more. Find information on specific clinical conditions, health lifestyle choices and more at CardioSmart.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
