ACC, CRF Announce Enhancements to Educational Collaboration
Contact: Amanda Jekowsky, ajekowsk@acc.org, 202-375-6645
The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) are increasing their educational collaboration and strengthening their partnership in their respective annual meetings, the organizations announced today.
Under the partnership, the ACCF is the official co-sponsor of CRF’s Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2011, and in 2012 the interventional portion of the ACC’s Scientific Session will be known at ACC-i2 with TCT. Beginning in 2013, this meeting will be renamed to “TCT at ACC: Innovations in Interventions” and will include even more shared offerings for interventionalists.
To facilitate the expanded partnership, ACCF and CRF are harmonizing the disclosure process for relationships with industry. Both the TCT and ACC-i2 with TCT meetings will abide by the same relationships with industry disclosure process for continuing medical and nursing education (CME/CNE) activities.
“Transparency about relationships with industry is critical to a fair and balanced review of available science, and alignment of the disclosure processes for both organizations will help ensure that CME/CNE activities are held to the same standards across the board,” said David R. Holmes, MD, president of the ACC. “The ultimate goal is to ensure that support from industry has no influence on the content of medical education that the ACCF and CRF sponsor.”
The ACCF will also provide nurse accreditation for TCT 2011, which includes the 20th Annual Cardiovascular Nurse and Technologist Symposium. This program for registered cardiovascular invasive specialists provides a forum to learn and discuss the latest advancements in interventional, pharmacologic, structural heart and endovascular strategies for cardiovascular patients.
“We believe the entire cardiology community – interventionalists, surgeons, clinicians, researchers, nurse practitioners, nurses and technicians – will continue to benefit from this increasingly close level of collaboration between the ACCF and CRF,” said Gregg W. Stone, MD, director of TCT and co-director of the medical education and research division at CRF. “Working together, the ACCF and CRF are filling a critical need for continuous cutting-edge medical education that ensures appropriate use of innovative new interventional treatments and therapies which improve outcomes for patients.”
For more information on TCT 2011, please visit www.tctconference.com. Information on ACC-i2 with TCT can be found at accscientificsession.cardiosource.org.
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About the American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The College is a 39,000-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 www.cardiosource.org/ACC.