Contact: Stephanie Abraham, sabraham@acc.org, 202-375-6296

WASHINGTON, DC (June 7, 2012) – The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American College of Physicians (ACP), today announced plans to launch a pilot program, PINNACLE Primary Care, that will expand the PINNACLE Registry to assess performance measures for primary care practices.

The PINNACLE Registry currently collects data from cardiology practices to calculate performance measures related to atrial fibrillation, hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure. Made up of more than 4.2 million patient encounters, PINNACLE is the nation’s largest cardiovascular outpatient quality-improvement registry. PINNACLE Primary Care, which will be known as PINNACLE-PC, will measure performance on breast and colon cancer screenings, influenza and pneumonia immunizations, lower back pain, diabetes, depression, weight management, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  

The pilot will begin this summer with five to 10 internal medicine practices. Data from pilot practices will be collected through December 2012 and results will be analyzed in early 2013. If the pilot is successful, ACC and ACP will make the PINNACLE Registry available to members of the American College of Physicians.

“Registries are excellent quality improvement tools,” said ACC President Dr. William Zoghbi, MD, FACC. “Registry participants receive quick feedback that can help practices ensure that they are providing consistent, evidence-based care. Expanding the PINNACLE Registry to include primary care is a natural extension of this great resource, which will ultimately improve care.”

“We are very enthusiastic about our collaboration with ACC and this program to test the PINNACLE Registry in primary care internal medicine practices,” said ACP President David L. Bronson, MD, FACP.

ACC Senior Vice President of Science & Quality and PINNACLE Chair William J. Oetgen, MD, MBA, FACC said expanding PINNACLE to primary care has been a goal for the registry since its inception.

The PINNACLE registry assists practices in understanding and improving care through the production and distribution of quarterly performance reports for data-submitting practices and physicians.  The reports cover all valid patient encounters and detail adherence to 25 cardiovascular clinical measures at the physician, location, and practice levels across the diagnoses of coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Thirteen additional performance measures will be added to PINNACLE to create PINNACLE-PC.

As part of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) suite, the PINNACLE Registry provides clinicians with quality measurement solutions needed in today’s health care environment. The registry provides a centralized system for clinical practices to promote practice innovations and achieve clinical excellence.

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About the American College of Cardiology
The mission of the American College of Cardiology is to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. The College is a 40,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at http://www.cardiosource.org/ACC.

About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. ACP members include 132,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internists specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illness in adults. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook and Annals on Twitter and Facebook.

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