Federal Cardiology Council

The mission of the Federal Cardiology Council, and the corresponding Federal Cardiology Section, is closely aligned to and supportive of the overall American College of Cardiology mission — to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through improvements in the processes of the federal system including knowledge delivery of leaner principles, collaborative opportunities, and elimination of  redundancies. Additionally, positive principles of the federal system should be highlighted to the Cardiology community at large to help influence health care policy on the national level. The Council and Section are dedicated to the cardiovascular care of the patient primarily seen at Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Public Health Service facilities. Specific objectives to guide the Council include the following:

• Objective 1: Articulate the current state of the federal healthcare system both positive and negative and identify areas for improvement.  The existing and potential barriers, as well as means of addressing, should be identified.  A look toward future trends, especially in light of current financial constraints and public scrutiny should be paramount. 
• Objective 2: In conjunction with relevant ACC/ACCF Committees and Councils, serve as a conduit for information and action regarding cardiovascular care, and support constructive and enhanced interactions, and to foster relationships with all interested stakeholders.
• Objective 3: Areas of collaboration should be highlighted to eliminate redundancies.  These areas may include decisions regarding research, material resourcing, and personnel resourcing.

The Council will consist of a Chair and four members whose leadership in the public health arena has been established.  It is essential that the Council consist of representatives from each DoD service, the VA, and the PHS.  Both physician and non-physician representatives should be considered.  The Federal Council will report to the Board of Trustees. The Council regularly meets and prepares activity reports for the BOT on the state of federal cardiology and works with other committees as appropriate on such activities by providing coordination and input on proposals submitted to the BOT.  The Federal Cardiology Council is responsible for proposing immediate and longer term strategies related to the College's initiatives.  These strategies will be coordinated with relevant existing activities within the College.  Although most sections require dues, the Federal Cardiology Section will not, as certain rules/regulations are prohibitive in this regard.