Vol. 24, No. 3

Dr. Douglas Speaks of ACC.06, i2 Summit 2006
Listen above to ACC President Pamela S. Douglas, M.D., F.A.C.C., as she talks of the excitement surrounding ACC.06 and the new i2 Summit 2006.
O’Connor Focuses on Imaging Spotlight
Imaging brings so many exciting possibilities to cardiologists and the new Integrated Imaging Spotlight brings them together, says Christopher M. O’Connor, M.D., F.A.C.C.
P4P Comes to Forefront in MGMA Session
Equal to imaging integration in importance are the political and payment issues surrounding it and other medical procedures, attests Matthew R. Wolff, M.D., F.A.C.C., ACC.06 co-chair. For that reason, attendees need to pay attention to the MGMA Spotlight Session on Sunday.

Following the new Saturday to Tuesday schedule, ACC President Pamela Douglas, M.D., F.A.C.C., begins the ACC’s 55th Annual Scientific Sessions with the Grand Opening Session, Saturday, March 11, 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Hall A2, Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). The Grand Opening Session replaces the former Presidential Plenary Session. After welcoming attendees to ACC.06 and i2 Summit 2006, Douglas will be talking about imaging, the quality of imaging, and how cardiologists can move past thinking of the images themselves to thinking about the value imaging brings to the care of patients.

• Simon Dack Lecture Features NHLBI Director Nabel

Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), takes the podium during Saturday’s Grand Opening Session to deliver the Simon Dack Lecture. Her lecture, “Genomic Medicine: The Future of Cardiovascular Medicine,” will address genomics and how this scientific work can be linked to improve care of patients. Be there on Saturday from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Hall A2, GWCC.

• King to Give Louis F. Bishop Lecture

For the Louis F. Bishop Lecture, Spencer B. King III, M.D., F.A.C.C., will focus on “Interventional Cardiology: The Evolution of a Subspecialty.” However, King’s retrospective moves from the past to discuss today’s challenges and future opportunities in endovascular treatment of cardiac patients. The Louis F. Bishop Lecture takes place Monday, March 13, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Hall B103, GWCC.

• Yusuf Will Address Global Epidemic

Salim Yusuf, M.D., F.A.C.C. , challenges all of us with “The Global Epidemic of Cardiovascular Diseases: Divine Curse or Failure of Progress?” his provocative title for the 5th Annual American College of Cardiology International Lecture, Tuesday, March 14, 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., Room B312, GWCC.

Learn how the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) is implementing financial incentives to help attain quality cardiovascular care. Learn more about the challenges in moving from hospital-based pay for performance programs to those in the ambulatory care setting. A special session will help participants understand the justification, logic and challenges inherent with developing and implementing performance measures into various reimbursement programs. In addition, panelists will highlight some of the challenges in moving from hospital-based pay for performance programs to those in the ambulatory care setting.
 “The Changing Face of Medicare: Pay for Performance and Reimbursement,” Monday, March 13, 9-10:30 a.m., Room B103, GWCC.

i2 Summit 2006 features many exciting live case demonstrations, laptop learning and more. However, attendees will probably focus on results of several late-breaking clinical trials (LBCT) with a special interest. In Session 2405-3, Monday, March 13, 9 a.m., researchers will reveal the results of “A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Patent Foramen Ovale Closure with STARFlex® Septal Repair Implant to Prevent Refractory Migraine Headaches: The MIST Trial.” Also part of that 9 a.m. session is 2405-5, “Prospective, Randomized Comparison of Upfront Initiation Versus Selective Use of Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes: The ACUITY Timing Trial.”

ACC.06 LBCTs on Sunday, March 12 at 10:30a.m. will also feature results from the ACUITY Timing Trial, #402-12, “Prospective, Randomized Comparison of Herparin Plus IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Bivalirudin with or withough IIb/IIIa Inhibition in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes.”