Report from the Chair of the Board of Governors
September 17, 2009
We in America do not have government by the majority.
We have government by the majority who participate.
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of United States (1743 - 1826)
ACC 2009 Legislative Conference Take the Hill by Storm
The ACC held its 2009 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13-15. The conference brought together more than 350 ACC members from nearly every state to learn more about current issues facing the cardiovascular community, including the proposed 2010 Physician Fee Schedule, health care reform, medical malpractice and state advocacy. Participants heard from a host of speakers, including:
Ron Brownstein, political director for Atlantic Media Company
Dr. Robert Kocher of the White House National Economic Council
Geoff Gerhardt of the House Ways and Means Committee
Wendell Primus from the Office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA)
Mike Dunn of Dunn Associates
James Paluskiewicz from the Office of Rep. Michael Burgess (TX)
Dana Lichtenberg from the Office of Rep. Bart Gordon (TN).
Visit ACC’s blog, The Lewin Report, for more on key sessions, posts from attending members, polls, videos and more. Slides and briefing materials are also available on the Legislative Conference Web site at:
http://www.acc.org/advocacy/leg_conf_09/about.htm
On the final day of the conference, attendees made hundreds of visits to offices on Capitol Hill, reaching lawmakers and their staff on these very important issues. For any of you who might question the impact of these meetings, Nebraska Chapter Governor Michael Del Core, M.D., offers the following experience:
"After completing my office visits today, I noticed that the House Energy and Commerce committee was meeting, so walked in to listen. Lo and behold Kathleen Sebelius was there and answering questions from the representatives regarding H1N1. I suppose the topic of the meeting. When it was his turn to take the floor Representative Walden from Oregon started off by telling the Secretary about the Gonzalez/Rogers letter that was sent to her and asked her to give careful attention to the letter. Of course he was called out of order but he made his point. I am convinced that he brought up the letter today because of your efforts earlier. Just thought you should know...it does make an impact!"
In addition to the Hill meetings and educational sessions, print and online ads timed to coincide with the conference ran Sept. 14-15, 2009 in:
National Journal
Politico
CongressDaily
www.politico.com
www.rollcall.com
To view the ad, go to:
http://qualityfirst.acc.org/Documents/ACC_MedicareCuts%20-%20hi%20res.pdf
“The Right Care At Right Time Saves Lives: Sounds simple enough. But the right care at the right time only saves patients with access to it. Unfortunately for patients with heart disease, Medicare is proposing drastic cuts for cardiovascular services that could make it harder for them to get the care they deserve. Cardiologists across the country may be forced to lay off staff, limit services and in some cases even close their doors. The American College of Cardiology is working to stop these cuts, streamline costs and set a new standard for health care that delivers timely, appropriate care to ALL patients. Providing doctors and patients with the resources needed to ensure high-quality, evidence-based and cost-effective care not only stops doors from closing, it opens new ones for the 750,000 Americans who’ll face a cardiac event this year. QualityFirst.ACC.org Setting Standards. Saving lives.”
Addressing the proposed CMS Medicare Fee schedule cuts remains priority number one for ACC leadership and staff. College leadership are aware of the gravity of this crisis and the impact on cardiovascular practices across the nation particularly those with a high proportion of Medicare patients such as Florida and California. We will continue to communicate with the Board of Governors as this issue continues to evolve.
Special thanks go to everyone who supported the ACC PAC during the conference. The ACC PAC held a successful annual Texas Hold 'Em Tournament and special congratulations to our first place winner, former ACC California Governor Dr. Richard Wright. The ACCPAC held a luncheon featuring famed politico and Democratic pundit James Carville. Governors who attended the BOG meeting were shown the 2008 Super Bowl Commercial where former Republican Senator and Majority Leader Bill Frist and Carville utter the same word simultaneously during a television showdown. Frist invokes the "Jinx" game, compelling Carville to buy him a Coke. With bottles of Coca-Cola in hand, the two spend the rest of the day enjoying the capital as political disagreements are temporarily forgotten. The video can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHk7kYYroRU
This idealistic view of politics is a far cry from the partisan rancor we are seeing today on Capitol Hill.
More than $60,000 was given to help further the cardiovascular message on Capitol Hill during this critical time. If you have not donated to the ACC Political Action Committee (ACC PAC), I strongly urge you to do so at this time. For more information visit www.accpacweb.org, or contact Kaycee Smith at ksmith@acc.org.
I thank all the Governors who were able to attend the BOG conference. The “Talk Back” session and open forum was well received and we look forward to continuing this process at future meetings. Please send me any feedback you have on the Board of Governors meeting and any other comments or suggestions you may have.
Please
JOHN GORDON HAROLD, MD, FACC
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BOG Meeting Follow up
BOG Meeting Evaluation Form
If you have not done so already, please complete the below evaluation form and return it to Taryn Gold at tgold@acc.org.
Your feedback is crucial.
Evaluation Form.doc
BOG Meeting Presentations
FLOOD EC july 15 overviewv3 0.PPT
Harold Intro Slides.PPT
HAROLD PAC_Slides_9_09.ppt
KOVACS 2010 Goals.PPT
valentine slides.ppt
Upcoming Meetings and Events
White House Conference Call
WHAT: White House Physicians Call
WHEN: Tonight September 17
TIME: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
CALL #: (800) 288-8960
The White House will host a conference call tonight for physicians to discuss health insurance reform with senior administration officials. The call will include physicians from across the country and the members of the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Office of Health Reform. This call is listen-only.
Evolving Models of Cardiovascular Practice Symposium
Date: November 5-6, 2009
Location: Heart House
Registration: www.acc.org/practiceopportunities
Discover the best way to optimize your practice and thrive in this rapidly changing healthcare reform and economic environment. Learn about various practice alignment and integration models from experienced managing physicians and practice administrators as well as legal and governance experts. Attendees will receive critical information on policies, proposals and the practical implications of change. Leave armed with the tools you need to make the best decisions for the future of your cardiology practice.
A pre-conference survey will be sent to you to customize our speakers and sessions to your needs!
Critical topics will include:
o The State of Health Care Reform and Cardiology Practice
o Accountable Care Organizations o Drivers for CV Practice Alignment Models
o Practice and Hospital Integration Models o Selling or Leasing Practices to Hospitals and Health Systems
o Governance Models and Structures
o Valuation Methods
o The Process and Anatomy of a Deal: How to start the process, check points, pit-falls, and post-implementation assessments.
This conference is intended for physicians and practice administrators in charge of making decisions on the future direction of the practice, and those interested in finding out more about practice alignment models. Don’t miss this opportunity to optimize your practice, reserve your space today at www.acc.org/practiceopportunities
ACC.10
Registration
Governors and Governors-elect are eligible to receive early complimentary full registration for the Annual Meeting. Chapter Executives are allowed a limited registration. Registration is complimentary but ACC does not reimburse you for travel, housing, or any other Annual Meeting expense.
The Leadership Hotel is the Marriot Marqui in Atlanta. If you have not completed the online registration, please complete the below and return it to ACC.
ACC10 Registration Form.pdf
ACC.10 Schedule as of 9/17/09 (subject to change)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Joint BOT/BOG Luncheon, Marriott Marquis, 12 pm to 1 pm (Current Governors Only)
BOG Meeting, Marriott Marquis, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
BOG Dinner, Marriott Marquis, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Health Fair, sponsored by the Georgia Chapter, 8 am to 12 noon (not yet confirmed), Location ~TBD
Sunday, March 14, 2010
All Chapter Reception, Location ~ TBD, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
ACC Networking Event, Location ~ TBD,7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Monday, March 15, 2010
Convocation Assembly (BOG on the dais), Marriott Marquis, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
ACC Convocation, Marriott Marquis, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Joint President/New Fellows reception, Marriott Marquis, 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
BOG Steering Committee Highlights
The BOG Steering Committee will convene in on Tuesday October 13 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM EST.
If you have issues for the Steering Committee to address at this meeting, please contact Jayne Jordan
(jjordan@acc.org) at 202.375.6609, or any of your BOG leadership.