This post was authored by C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC, co-director of the Cardiovascular Summit.

It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change. – Charles Darwin

Health care has undergone a radical transformation in the last decade.  Monumental shifts – from private practice to physician employment and volume to value – have uprooted a health care system that was relatively stable for decades.

On top of staying up-to-date on the latest science, we’re all juggling practice demands, educational requirements and family commitments. That leaves us little time to understand the changes going on around us and develop a plan of action to keep our practices afloat.

In response to the changing health care landscape and emerging challenges, Bo Walpole, Pam Douglas and I created the Cardiovascular Summit in 2012 to help clinicians and administrators thrive in a rapidly changing environment.

Last week, hundreds of cardiologists, cardiovascular administrators, nurses and other CV professionals gathered in Orlando for the 4th Annual Cardiovascular Summit. This comprehensive and interactive course, which featured more than 50 breakout sessions, armed attendees with finance/value-based care strategies and tactics, tools for optimizing health care data, and effective leadership skills to help them improve patient outcomes and experiences through the delivery of high quality, cost effective care.

One of the many highlights of the conference was a session on what’s next for health care reform, presented by Paul H. Keckley, PhD, managing director of Navigant Healthcare. Keckley walked through how recent legislative activity – from the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act to the Physician Payments Sunshine Act – has shaped a “new normal” for physicians. Cardiology is faced with increased competition for solutions, innovation and approaches; increased transparency; new value expectations from payers and consumers; and expanded opportunities for influence and business growth. While there is an abundance of uncertainty in this new era of health care, he stressed that “there’s no going back” and we must adapt in order to thrive. To do so, physicians must adopt new core competencies and become data-driven, team-oriented, lifelong learners and transparent in their business relationships.

Most importantly, cardiovascular professionals must take charge and lead the way for health care transformation. This was evident by the number of sessions that focused on leadership development. Experts discussed the importance of physicians and administrators working together to build a cohesive team, the need to build a culture of leadership, and the role of leadership in moving from volume to value.

We encourage health care system teams of managers, physicians and advanced practice professionals to attend the Summit together in order to maximize team-based care and leadership. Armed with new skills and strategies, I am confident that Summit attendees will be instrumental in leading the transformation of health care delivery in their private practices, integrated groups and academic medical centers.

Over the next year, we’re sure to face new challenges and opportunities. I look forward to tackling a new set of issues and seeing familiar and fresh faces at the 2016 Cardiovascular Summit in Las Vegas, Feb. 18-20. Be sure to mark your calendars!

[youtuber youtube='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNZVX0Fq3OU&feature=youtu.be']

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