This post was authored by Shal Jacobovitz, CEO of the ACC.

Last week I joined ACC President John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, and other College leaders at the 24th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC). It was truly an honor to be a part of this remarkable event. For me, the meeting’s focus on “Integrated Medicine” was particularly opportune given that it fits nicely under the theme of “Transformation of Care” – one of the five main themes the College is addressing as part of its strategic planning process.

Integrated medicine, team-based care, is emerging as a partial solution to helping members address and overcome the disruption caused by the clinical and economic changes in the health care environment and ultimately transform the delivery of cardiovascular care. Not only does team-based care have the potential to address shortages in the cardiovascular workforce, it also shows promise for enhancing the quality and safety of patient care and expanding physician productivity and job satisfaction by reducing workloads and preventing burnout.

Surveys of ACC members over the last few years support these claims. Of the practices operating in a team-based care environment, increased efficiency, improved quality of care and increased patient satisfaction were the primary improvements cited.  Other benefits of the team approach include increased staff satisfaction and in some cases improved financial outcomes.

Improved quality is one of the biggest benefits of integrated medicine. ACC surveys show that cardiovascular professionals in hospital or academic settings are more likely to engage in quality improvement types of team-based care, including participation in data registries and quality improvement projects like the College’s Hospital to Home initiative (H2H).  In China, Dr. Harold highlighted the particular value of H2H in bring in bringing together integrated teams to change the way we practice cardiovascular medicine for the better.

Moving forward, defining the optimal approach to team-based care and identifying the roles of cardiovascular specialists within the health care continuum, particularly as it relates to primary care, will undoubtedly be a strategic priority for the College. Helping members thrive and deliver high quality, patient-centered, cost effective care in any delivery and reimbursement environment is at the heart of the strategic plan and integrated care is one way we can get there.

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