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The Pulse of ACC
Updated Guidance for ACHD; ACC Awards First HeartCARE Center Designation; More.
ACC Announces New CEO
Timothy W. Attebery, MBA, FACHE, will take the helm of the ACC starting Sept. 1 as its next chief executive officer (CEO). Attebery comes to the ACC from Ballad Health in Kingsport, TN, where he served as president and CEO of Holston Valley Medical Center since 2013. At Ballad Health, Attebery led the large, tertiary referral center and teaching hospital under a model focused on patient safety, quality, service, collaboration with the medical staff, employee engagement, efficiency and equity.
“We are excited to have Tim take the helm of the College at the same time that we begin the process of implementing our next Strategic Plan,” said ACC President C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC. “As a CV Administration member of the ACC, he brings with him a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the cardiovascular service line at a time when health care continues to undergo massive change. His commitment to patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, professionalism and excellence is also aligned with the College’s core values and will help to ensure we achieve our mission of transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health.” READ MORE.
Prior to his current position at Ballad Health, Attebery held the position of system vice president of cardiovascular services from 2010 to 2013. He also served as CEO of Cardiovascular Associates, P.C., also in Kingsport; CEO of South Carolina Heart Center, P.A., in Columbia; and CEO of the Heart Group, P.C., in Evansville, IN.
In addition, he has served in leadership positions on the boards of the Cardiology Advocacy Alliance and the Cardiology Leadership Alliance, as well as played a key role in the development of MedAxiom.
“Tim comes to the ACC with 30 years of experience in nearly every aspect of the cardiovascular service line,” said ACC Immediate Past President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC, who chaired the CEO Search Committee. “This experience will translate well as we move toward implementing the College’s strategic priorities, including increasing the College’s relevance as the cardiovascular professional home, advancing quality, equity and value of cardiovascular care, and ensuring continued organizational growth and sustainability.”
Attebery holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Haslam College of Business, and is completing a Doctorate Degree in Health Service Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“It is an absolute privilege for me to join the ACC,” Attebery said. “I look forward to working with the College’s outstanding members and staff as we execute the Board’s vision and strategic imperatives. I’m excited about the opportunities ahead to help cardiovascular professionals around the world optimize their performance and bring more value to their patients.”
Attebery was chosen as CEO following a six-month nationwide search led by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International. During the search period, Cathleen C. Gates, ACC’s chief operating officer, has served as interim CEO for the College’s more than 500 staff.
Updated Guidance For Treating ACHD Patients
The newly released ACC and American Heart Association Guideline for the Management of Adults With Congenital Heart Disease replaces the original guideline published in 2008, and incorporates new data and growing ACHD expertise.
Specifically, the guideline presents a new classification system for ACHD patients that retains the traditional classification based on the structural complexity of the disease while taking into account the patient’s functional status and other factors, including the presence of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular problems.
The new system is intended to capture the complexity of ACHD in terms of both anatomy and physiology, rather than anatomy alone. It also provides the basis for making lesion-specific recommendations for interval clinical follow-up and testing modalities such as electrocardiograms, transthoracic echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance and exercise testing. READ MORE.
The need for specialized care is also highlighted throughout the guideline, with authors noting that patients with significant ACHD who are cared for in ACHD centers have better outcomes than those cared for in centers without ACHD expertise.
The College has created a number of ACHD Guideline resources including slides, a Guidelines Made Simple Tool, Key Points to Remember, Eagle’s Eye View Podcast and a CardioSmart CHD Infographic for patients. You can access these and other resources on the ACHD Guideline hub on ACC.org.
In addition, the ACC’s IMPACT Registry tracks the prevalence, demographics and management of CHD patients to improve outcomes, while the Adult Congenital & Pediatric Cardiology Quality Network brings together a national network of CHD centers dedicated to collecting and sharing data, collaborating and developing best practices for CHD patients. Learn more at CVQuality.ACC.org.
Earn European CME Credit With JACC
Clinicians can now earn European Continuing Medical Education (ECME) credits by completing online activities for select Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) articles. The Journal is offering two ECME credits per month upon successful completion of related self-assessment questions for each article.
In total, JACC Journals now offer 84 dual CME/MOC credits per year with activities available for all six JACC Journals, and 24 ECME credits per year. ECME credits will likely be offered for JACC specialty journals in the future. Visit ACC.org/JACCECME to see certified activities.
ACC Awards First HeartCARE Center Designation
The ACC recently recognized CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital – Tyler in Tyler, TX, as the first recipient of the HeartCARE Center, a National Distinction of Excellence program, for its demonstrated commitment to comprehensive, high-quality culture and cardiovascular care through accreditations and ongoing registry reporting.
The hospital met a set of criteria to earn the HeartCARE Center designation, including participation in at least two ACC Accreditation Services programs, NCDR programs, and targeted quality improvement campaigns. The facility was previously awarded Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation and Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation by ACC Accreditation Services. The new designation is the highest recognition hospitals can receive from the College.
“CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital – Tyler achieved this elite status through their outstanding commitment to deliver quality heart care for their patients, providers and other stakeholders in Tyler,” said Phillip Levy, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board.
New Slate of ACC Officers for 2019 Announced
The ACC Board of Trustees (BOT) has approved the College’s newest slate of officers and trustees, including its next president and vice president.
The ACC Nominating Committee, led by Immediate Past President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC, put forth the following candidates for BOT approval, using the College’s Leadership Competencies as guidance:
- Richard J. Kovacs, MD, FACC, to serve as president from 2019-2020
- Athena Poppas, MD, FACC, to serve as vice president from 2019-2020
- Claire S. Duvernoy, MD, FACC, and James L. Januzzi Jr., MD, FACC, to serve as trustees from 2019-2022
“I’m excited by the diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that each of these individuals will bring to the BOT and the College as a whole,” said Walsh. “This is especially critical given their role in guiding ACC’s next Strategic Plan, which is focused on increasing relevance as the cardiovascular professional home; generating and delivering actionable knowledge; advancing quality, equity and value of cardiovascular care; and ensuring organizational growth and sustainability.”
These officers will be officially approved in March 2019 during ACC.19 in New Orleans, LA. The ACC’s Nominating Committee is made up of Walsh, Ana Barac, MD, PhD, FACC; John E. Brush Jr., MD, FACC; Blair D. Erb Jr., MD, FACC; Eileen M. Handberg, PhD, ARNP, FACC; Gerard R. Martin, MD, FACC; and B. Hadley Wilson, MD, FACC.
The BOT is the centralized governing authority for the ACC and responsible for overseeing decisions related to the College’s mission and strategic direction. To learn more about ACC’s governance structure, visit ACC.org/About-ACC/Leadership.
Read All About AFib, New Concept of Computational Health and More!
Don’t miss the August issue of Cardiology! Get a closer look at the impact and consequences of AFib, while also learning more about the ways the new concept of “computational health” could hold the answer to unlocking the value of big data.
In addition, see first-hand how dogs are improving the well-being of cardiovascular professionals – and even patients – around the world. Visit ACC.org/Cardiology for the complete issue.
Clinical Topics: Invasive Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention
Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Patient Safety, Prunus, Quality Improvement, Tertiary Care Centers, Education, Medical, Continuing, Leadership, Self-Assessment, Universities, Pain Clinics, Certification, Quality of Health Care, Accreditation, Hospitals, Teaching, Registries, Patient-Centered Care, Medical Staff, Awards and Prizes, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
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