As we wrap up ACC.12 after soaking in all the new and best cardiovascular science and education, I’m continuously amazed at how much progress is made from these meetings. Over the past few days I’ve both presented with and had the honor to learn from some of the most astounding cardiovascular health care innovators in the field. Now the challenge lies in taking what we’ve learned and implementing it – and, as Immediate Past President David Holmes, MD, noted in his ACC.12 Opening Session address, using it to transform how we provide care to patients and work in partnership with others.

With the recent two year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the start of the Supreme Court hearings of the constitutionality of it all, I’d be remiss not to also mention the timely discussions that took place throughout ACC.12 on health care reform and its impacts on everything from health IT, to imaging, to academia, to the future.

Yesterday I gave the presentation, “ACA for Dummies,” giving a play-by-play of the ACA’s nine separate independent titles, as part of a session that looked at where cardiology will be as a profession in 2015. The bottom line is even if the decision is to rid of the ACA we will still be faced with immense access, cost and quality problems. Our goal at the College is to ensure that we’re poised to help ensure these changes put patients first and reward physicians and other medical professionals for their commitment to quality and evidence-based care.  Congress’ traditional cost reduction strategies of price controls and caps on spending -- as in the broken SGR (or sgrrrr, expressed as a growl) Medicare payment formula -- just won’t work. Instead we need to systematically improve care.

Also yesterday, I was on a progressive panel discussion about the Future of Cardiovascular Diseases: Where Are We Going (and Where Do We Want to Go?) with ACC’s new President Bill Zoghbi, MD, President-Elect John Harold, MD, Million Hearts Director Janet Wright, MD, and others, which discussed the recent UN Summit on NCDs, and others initiatives to combat the growing epidemic of cardiovascular disease. I think Huon Gray, MD, said it best: “Since CV disease knows no boundaries with regards to the patients it affects, nor should the organization and cardiologists whose job it is to help them.”

Professionalism has to be a part of our changing future and the patient must be the center. We have to change the physician/patient relationship and move toward patient centered care, something that Zoghbi is focusing on during his presidential year. We’re not just embracing change, we need to lead change!

Overall it was a great meeting, folks and thanks to everyone who made the journey to the Windy City. Save the Date for ACC.13, March 9-12 in San Francisco!

PS the fun never stops here on Hollywood on the Potomac, check out my testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee here where I was able to discuss the need for more funding for cardiovascular disease research (just like what was presented at ACC.12), prevention and treatment.

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