News from the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Cardiology
Indiana-ACC Newsletter, August 2023
President's Message
Vijay Rao, MD, PhD, FACC
Dear Indiana-ACC Colleague,

You're Invited to the Indiana-ACC Annual Meeting

I am pleased to invite you to the Indiana-ACC Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 9th at the Marriott Indianapolis North. This exciting day of education and networking promises to be both engaging and insightful for cardiovascular professionals. Highlights include:

  • Presentation of the 2023 Career Achievement Award to Douglas P. Zipes, MD, MACC
  • Report from the ACC on What's Impacting CV Clinicians in 2023
  • Discussion on the Importance of Career Flexibility in Cardiology
  • Interactive Session with Fellows Presenting Top Clinical Trials of 2023
  • Learn about Infiltrative Cardiomyopathies like Cardiac Amyloidosis and Sarcoidosis
  • Panel on GLP 1 Agonists and Impact on CV Patients
  • Breakout Sessions and Exhibits over Lunch
  • Presentation on State of the Art Antithrombotic Therapies

We are honored to have ACC Vice President Cathleen Biga, MSN, RN, FACC and ACC CEO Cathleen Gates join us for this important day.

The meeting agenda promises the latest clinical updates and thought-provoking discussions relevant to cardiovascular clinicians. I hope you will join us for this premier cardiology event. Please register soon to reserve your place for the Indiana-ACC Annual Meeting on September 9th. I look forward to welcoming you in Indianapolis!
Become an ACC Advocate and Be Recognized
Take a look at the new ACC Advocate Checklist to help you stay engaged with advocacy year-round. There are so many ways to get involved in advocacy to help transform cardiovascular care, and the ACC Advocate checklist makes it easy to get started. From engaging with peers to participating in the political process through meetings with lawmakers, this checklist covers all key components that go into a successful advocacy strategy. Checklist activities will be tracked through a form that will be sent out on a monthly basis to individuals who sign up to participate. ACC Advocates who complete the checklist will be recognized for their accomplishment at Legislative Conference and in various ACC publications! Members can click here to participate in this program and start checking items off the list today. For any questions about the checklist, please reach out to Ryan Moore (rmoore@acc.org)

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023-2025 Indiana-ACC Council Election!
Northern District
Ankur Kalra, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI (2025)
James P. MacKrell, MD, FACC (2025 – 2nd term)

Central District
Michael D. Barron, MD, FACC (2025)
Julie Clary, MD, MBA, FACC (2025 – 2nd term)
Ryan P. Daly, MD, FACC, FASE, FSCCT, FSCMR (2025 – 2nd term)
Kyle A. Frick, MD, FACC, FSCAI (2025)
Kathleen L. Morris, DO, FACC (2025)
Amit C. Patel, MD (2025 – 2nd term)
Roopa Rao, MD, FACC (2025)
Alexander V. Smolensky, MD, MBA, FACC (2025)

Southern District
Chandrashekar Kumbar, MD, FACC (2025)
Rana Zouveenoor Tariq, MD (2025 – 2nd term)

Special thanks to outgoing council members:
Northern District: Abdul Basit, MD, FACC, Mayank K. Mittal, MBBS, FACC, Muzammil Mushtaq, MD & Roy W. Robertson, MD, FACC; Central District: Pantila Bateman, MD, FACC, FASE (recently moved), Deepak Bhakta, MD, FACC, Georges Ephrem, MD, MSc, FACC (recently moved), Parin J. Patel, MD, FACC & Emily Ruden, MD; Southern District: Ramesh Kashinath, MD, FACC & Anthony J. Voelkel, MD, FACC
Contact Us
If Gwen Goldfarb, our chapter executive, or I can be of assistance to you, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Vijay
Practice Cost Survey Awareness
The American Medical Association (AMA) is undertaking a new national study, supported by 173 health care organizations, to collect representative data on physician practice expenses. The Physician Practice Information Survey (PPIS) will collect data on overhead costs of today’s physician practices to support physician payment advocacy.
 
The study is an opportunity to communicate accurate financial information to policymakers, including members of Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The AMA has contracted with Mathematica, an independent research company with extensive experience in survey methods as well as health care delivery and finance reform, to conduct the study.
 
Clinicians should monitor their email for important surveys on practice costs and work hours. It is important that individuals or practices who are randomly selected to complete a survey do so thoroughly and accurately. For some surveys, members will need to rely on financial experts in the practice to complete an online financial information survey. Other members will be asked to report hours spent actively providing patient care.
 
The input from physician practices and individual physicians that are randomly selected to participate in this study is critical for its success. Participation will ensure that practice expenses and patient care hours are accurately reflected.
 
The Medicare physician payment schedule, maintained by CMS and used by many other payers, relies on 2006 cost information to develop practice expense relative values, the Medicare Economic Index and resulting physician payments. As the U.S. economy and health care system have undergone substantial changes since that time, including staffing costs, team-based care, inflation, new practice arrangements, and the wide-spread adoption of electronic health records and other information technology systems, practice expense payments no longer accurately reflect the relative resources that are typically required to provide physician services.
 
Invitations and reminders about the costs survey will be sent by Mathematica from the email address PPISurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “American Medical Association requests your input on physician practice expense and patient care hours.” Invitations and reminders about physician hours worked will come from the email address PhysicianHoursSurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “Please help to update accurate physician payments.” Surveys will be in the field in waves through the spring of 2024. All cardiologists, regardless of ACC or AMA membership status are eligible to receive these surveys.
 
If you are selected for the survey and have questions regarding your response, contact ACC’s Director of Regulatory Affairs James Vavricek.
Register for Upcoming Virtual Meetings
Quick Hits
news
More Than 200 Open Positions on 65+ ACC Committees: Apply Now!
Nominations are being accepted for more than 200 positions within ACC’s Member Section Councils, Assembly of International Governors, National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR), Accreditation Services, and more, through Friday, Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. ET. *Additionally, note that new this nominations cycle is the Reproductive Health and Cardio-Obstetrics Section Leadership Council. The Reproductive Health and Cardio-Obstetrics Section Leadership Council will develop an overarching strategy for the College’s reproductive health and cardio-obstetrics initiatives, while serving as the global home for reproductive health and cardio-obstetrics within the College, partnering with other reproductive health and cardio-obstetrics related societies, councils, and working groups worldwide, as needed and per ACC guidance.
Interested applicants or nominators are encouraged to review the open positions and may self-nominate or nominate a colleague. Applicants will be notified of the results by the end of 2023. The Nominating Committee strongly encourages applicants from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, specialties, practice settings, and career stages.
 
For more information, please visit the Committee Nominations Portal. 


ACC Launches NEW DocMatter Member Community
The ACC has partnered with DocMatter, a global medical community platform, to provide a new benefit for ACC members. This partnership, which joins two organizations dedicated to improving patient care and outcomes, provides members with a private, online collaboration forum. With DocMatter, ACC members can discuss cases and clinical developments, ask questions and build connections with peers easier than ever before. ACC members have access to the community and can access their account using their ACC.org credentials. The DocMatter community is designed to make connecting easy for busy clinicians, with a mobile app and clinician advocates on staff to provide technical support, personalize notifications and enhance the overall experience.
 
“The ACC has always been proud to offer a variety of important and valuable member benefits, including access to premier education opportunities, quality tools and resources, and more,” said Richard Kovacs, MD, MACC, American College of Cardiology Chief Medical Officer. “The ability to connect with fellow cardiovascular care team members has always been a vital part of ACC membership, which is why the addition of DocMatter is particularly exciting as it will increase opportunities for networking and connection among peers and experts around the world, on an individual member’s terms and needs. This new and exciting forum will bring collaboration, knowledge, and mentorship from across the spectrum of cardiology right to your phone.”
 
Members can select from more than 30 discussion channels to focus their learning, and conversations will be moderated by ACC advisors representing each Member Section, ensuring expert input into all cardiology subdisciplines. Learn more and start connecting in the community here.
 
 
Call for Applications: ACC’s Internal Medicine Cardiology Program
ACC is now accepting applications for all five cohorts in ACC’s Internal Medicine Cardiology Program. The program is designed to introduce internal medicine interns, residents, and cardiology fellows to a career in cardiology by connecting them with mentors, a peer network, and education on career opportunities in the field. Applications are being accepted through Sept. 15 for the following cohorts: African American/Black; Women; Hispanic/Latinx; LGBTQ+; and the newest addition of Indigenous Peoples. The cohorts will launch virtually beginning in October. Learn more.


Restrictive Covenants and Non-Compete Clauses


You have choices when it comes to meeting your maintenance of certification (MOC) requirements. If you’re due for an MOC assessment soon, the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) is an MOC assessment option that helps meet ALL your needs! ACC’s Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) is an MOC assessment option that allows you to stay 100% certified by focusing on just 20% of the field each year. Delivered through ACC's Self-Assessment Programs, the CMP includes all the comprehensive educational material, annual updates and CME credits/MOC points you need. Participation is simple: purchase the relevant SAP, score 70% or better on the practice question for the topics of the year, and take the 60-question performance assessment during a Performance Assessment Window. Enroll in the CMP today — and be sure to mark your calendar with the 2023 Performance Assessment windows!

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.