The voice of cardiology will be louder and more effective as a result of a recent decision by the Cardiology Advocacy Alliance to merge with the ACC. Effective now, CAA's large network of US-based cardiovascular physicians and executive leaders have joined the ACC's advocacy efforts, uniting around the shared mission of developing and advancing solutions to increase access, quality and value of patient care and promote heart health.

"The decision by CAA to merge its operations and advocacy activities into the ACC is a sentinel event in the history of cardiovascular services in the U.S.," says ACC and MedAxiom CEO Timothy Attebery DSc, MBA, FACHE.

"Uniting the house of cardiovascular services is a priority for the ACC. We are all stronger together. I applaud the CAA board and look forward to joint efforts to strengthen the voice of all stakeholders who are committed to advancing novel approaches to preserve Medicare and ensure all Americans have access to high quality cardiovascular services."

As part of the merger, the CAA will operate as a subcommittee of the ACC's Health Affairs Committee, providing expertise from the entrepreneurial cardiology community on regulatory and legislative issues affecting the ability of clinicians to provide all services necessary for high-quality cardiac care.

The subcommittee, composed of former CAA board members, will ensure continuity and sustainability. Additionally, two representatives from the subcommittee will serve on the Health Affairs Committee, providing bidirectional communication and helping to shape and guide the ACC's public policy efforts.

"The Health Affairs Committee is pleased to have CAA at the table," says ACC Health Affairs Committee Chair Thad Waites, MD, MACC. "As with ACC's merger with MedAxiom, this additional merger of talent, knowledge and expertise is a very good thing for cardiovascular advocacy, and ultimately for our patients."

For 14 years, CAA has represented the common interests of cardiovascular clinicians, practices and patients at the legislative and regulatory levels. "As the practice landscape has changed over the years, CAA has been able to thread the needle of relevance to all the parties in the house of cardiology, whether self-employed, in a small or large group, or employed by a health system," says Mark F. Victor, MD, FACC, a member of the CAA subcommittee and the ACC Health Affairs Committee.

According to Victor, the merger will "bring together under one roof the entirety of the house of cardiology to improve the care of patients, access to physicians, and to promote the best in clinical outcomes … in this unification, we meld the strengths of both organizations into a solid core of advocacy so that we can talk as one voice, and weigh in on the mighty issues facing cardiology today and into the future," he said.

"We all believe that we are stronger than the sum of our parts and look forward confidently to our working together on the tough issues we face, together."

Keywords: ACC Advocacy, Patient Care, Physicians, Public Policy

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