I spoke at an event earlier today with with ACC President and blog co-author Ralph Brindis, MD, FACC, and ACP CEO John Tooker, MD, MBA. ACC's write up on the event follows:

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and The Hill hosted Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) for a discussion on physician payment reform on Capitol Hill. The event highlighted ACC efforts to lead the way in payment reform by creating better models of care for patients and using innovative tools for enhanced quality management. The speakers said the solution isn’t about putting more money into the system or getting more money for physicians -- it is about payment reform from a patient-centered point of view. The goal, the speakers emphasized, is to change the current system, described by them as one that rewards mediocrity and quantity and doesn’t listen to patients, with one that encourages physicians to spend time with patients and rewards excellence, efficiency and quality of care. 

The ACC currently has several tools to help with quality management including five hospital-based registries and a practice-based one that helps participating facilities and other medical professionals identify and close gaps in quality of care; reduce wasteful and inefficient care variations; and implement effective, continuous quality improvement processes. There is also the Door to Balloon (D2B) and Hospital to Home (H2H) initiatives focused on reducing the door-to-balloon times in U.S. hospitals performing primary PCI and reducing cardiovascular-related hospital readmissions and improving the transition from inpatient to outpatient status for individuals hospitalized with cardiovascular disease.

Read The Hill for an alternate perspective or check out this video.

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