Last week former ACC President Jim Dove, MACC, led a fantastic meeting at Heart House, the Evolving Models of Cardiovascular Practice Symposium. The symposium was designed to help CV practices understand better their options for hospital employment or integration, versus creating independent/individual practice associations (IPA) or larger groups -- and/or trying to figure out how to survive business-wise in the changing marketplace. Physician and administrator representatives of 110 practices attended -- but over 200 were turned away!

The event was standing-room only, indicating just how relevant this topic is right now. According to a pre-event survey of attendees, 43 percent had integrated their practices with hospitals, or were seriously considering it, or were in the process of doing so. Dr. Dove rightly noted that it is disturbing to see the sense of hopelessness in cardiology today -- a specialty that has been at the summit of medicine for decades and has reduced morbidity and mortality from heart disease by 27 percent in the last decade alone. Regardless of the outcome of negotiations around the Rule, however, this symposium clearly hit a nerve with members. It’s just another example of the ACC providing the tools members will need in the coming months to ensure their continued ability to successfully practice cardiovascular medicine. ACC members Mike Valentine, Bo Walpole, George Rogers, Chuck McKay and others helped envision and organize this meeting with Dr. Dove. MedAxiom and the Cardiology Advocacy Alliance also participated in making it a successful program. We’re going to have to take it on the road. During the meeting, CVN recorded two great discussions about pratice viability with ACC leaders. Check out both segments: "Fighting for Patient Access: Part 1 and Part 2". 

From my own point of view -- one I expressed to the attendees -- the most important trend we’re NOT seeing, but need to promote is that of getting more exemplary physician leadership for group practices, IPAs, integrated system boards, and very importantly for hospital boards. As a profession, we have delegated and abrogated our former leadership of hospitals, insurers, and health systems. Such physician leadership is the best way to protect patient care and improve quality of care. If we’re going to be increasingly selling practices to hospitals, we also need to be populating the hospital boards to a much greater extent and impact. Good partnerships between administrators and dedicated physician leaders make the most successful practices -- but we need to help generate new generations of physician leaders for the best future for CV medicine and cardiology.

So, it’s an evolving profession (I know, some say devolving, but they’re wrong).

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