“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – Thomas Jefferson

This quote is on my mind this week as hundreds of cardiovascular professionals from across the country stepped up to the plate to help shape the future of the nation’s health care during the 2013 ACC Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Having the entire cardiac care team unite to tackle the looming health care challenges is more important than ever.

We’re in the midst of the most pivotal time period for health care. A triple threat of cuts to medical research funding, a declining physician workforce and reductions in graduate medical education, plus the millions of patients who will enter the system in 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act, has created stormy waters for health care. Banding together to accelerate advocacy efforts that increase access, reduce disparities and reward value is vital given this changing cardiovascular landscape.

While we’re faced with a myriad of challenges, I’m reassured by the nearly 400 passionate members who took time away from their practices and hospitals to make the voice of cardiology heard on Capitol Hill.  Together, we brought several important messages to Congress. This is a critical year for legislative action on Medicare payment reform and it is imperative that we renew our longstanding call to repeal the flawed sustainable growth rate formula and replace it with a carefully developed system that rewards the highest quality care for Medicare patients. As Congress works to develop new payment models and quality improvement initiatives, we will collaborate with key decision makers and show Congress how the College is improving patient care through clinical data registries, quality measurement and appropriate use criteria. These powerful tools have vastly improved patient care within cardiovascular medicine and Congress must continue to incentivize the development and operation of these tools to better promote patient centered-care. We also forcefully advocated for the preservation of the In-Office Ancillary Services Exception (IOASE) and the ongoing promotion of coordinated care.

While we face countless challenges, there are many opportunities ahead of us. As John F. Kennedy said, “When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.” ACC’s new strategic plan will serve as the College’s visual and navigational beacon for the future. By focusing on five key areas (transformation of care, enhancing membership value and engagement, purposeful education, population and public health, and data), the College will continue to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health.

Check out photos and other highlights from the meeting on CardioSource. Stay tuned to the ACC in Touch Blog for additional perspectives of the meeting.

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