What do Cardiologists and Football Have in Common?

One might not initially think that cardiologists and football players have a lot in common. However, coming out of the standing-room-only Board of Governors (BOG) meeting this past weekend, I can tell you that the team spirit and tireless work ethic of ACC’s cardiovascular “team” rivals that of the best players on the football field.

The September BOG Meeting is always one of my favorites. We’re moved beyond saying “here’s what we’re going to do” to “here’s what we’re doing.” It’s a time to look back on early accomplishments, reassess priorities if needed, and celebrate where we’re going.

Among the early accomplishments this year:

  • A formal recommendation regarding Appropriate Use Criteria terminology. The BOG has been an integral part of these discussions over the last several months and   we believe that the recommended changes will address many of the concerns raised by members at the grassroots level, particularly regarding the use of the term “Inappropriate.”
  • The development of a Digital Strategy. No, the BOG is not responsible for developing the Digital Strategy, but many governors have been involved in some manner in its development, whether it’s sharing feedback from Chapter members, actively taking part in usability testing or simply using the College’s online and mobile resources.
  • Participation in the Million Hearts initiative. We heard from Janet Wright, MD, FACC, executive director of Million Hearts, that the College and its Chapters are among the biggest contributors to Million Heart activities. As the initiative enters its second year, even more opportunities for involvement are expected.
Looking ahead, the College’s new Lifelong Learning Portfolio offers unprecedented new learning opportunities for ACC members. There are also incredible new quality improvement tools in development or newly launched that are intended to help cardiovascular professionals not only adhere to guidelines and best practices, but also involve patients in their care. Among these resources: Clinical Toolkits for atrial fibrillation and heart failure, and growing opportunities to use Imaging in FOCUS tools in practice. New CardioSmart initiatives like CardioSmartTV, which puts patient-themed content on waiting room televisions, offer up unique new ways to reach patients. As Dr. Wright also mentioned, we still have four more years to reach the Million Hearts goal of preventing one million heart attacks and strokes.

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention some of the health policy issues ahead. There is no doubt that health reform implementation will continue to have impacts on the current practice environment, as will continued cuts to Medicare physician payment. There is a need for the entire cardiac care team to come together as one voice to make sure that policies moving forward are in the best interest of our patients. Issues like public reporting, the Physician Payment Sunshine Act and other policies being discussed will have profound impacts on how we practice and it’s important that the College and its members be heard.

This weekend reinforced that the ACC’s BOG is comprised of an amazing team of men and women who selflessly volunteer their time in many different ways, with the ultimate end goal of ensuring patients living with, or at risk of, heart disease are receiving the best, most appropriate care possible. Like the football teams who took to the field this weekend, we will take some hits and might even lose a few yards, but at the end of the day there’s a sense of accomplishment for all the yards run and the touchdowns that were made. As the old saying goes, we “come together, share together, work together and succeed together.”

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