This post was authored by ACC President Kim Allan Williams Sr., MD, FACC.

Starting today, over 400 cardiovascular professionals are gathering in Washington, DC, for the ACC’s 2015 Legislative Conference. The purpose of this annual event is to tell lawmakers about the difference ACC members make in the lives of patients and share the College’s vision for continuing the advancement of cardiovascular care. Even if you aren’t attending Legislative Conference, it’s important to stay abreast of issues facing cardiology and get involved with ACC’s advocacy efforts to ensure decisions made in Washington and in the states are in the best interest of patients, providers and practices.

The House is still highly unsettled following Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) surprise announcement that he will resign at the end of October. Until the next Speaker is decided, the House leadership and the ability of the chamber to move legislation are very much in flux. This development sets an interesting backdrop for a number of major legislative issues looming this fall. The government is currently operating under a temporary funding measure (known as a continuing resolution) that expires in December. Congressional action will also be necessary to raise the nation’s borrowing limit (“debt ceiling”) in November, if not before. Potential legislation to avert an unusually high increase in 2016 Part B premiums for some Medicare beneficiaries (and any policy changes used to pay for that effort) may also absorb a great deal of congressional bandwidth in the coming weeks. The House Ways and Means Committee continues to push for comprehensive hospital payment reform. The fate of the House-passed 21^st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) now lies in the Senate, which is developing its own counterpart legislation. Additionally, the Senate Finance Committee continues to discuss delivery and payment reform as it drafts chronic care legislation, intended to be introduced this fall.

Whether you’re coming to DC for Legislative Conference or not, you can make your voice heard in Congress by doing the following:

• Send a letter to your members of Congress through ACC’s grassroots system and combine your voice with those of your colleagues to deliver cardiology’s message to Congress.
• Join the ACC's social media Thunderclap to amplify the College's advocacy message. On ACC’s lobby day, a coordinated message will be sent out from the Facebook and/or Twitter accounts of those who sign-up.
• Stay tuned to the ACC in Touch Blog for full coverage of the conference.
• Be sure to follow @Cardiology on Twitter for live conference updates and use the hashtag #ACCLegConf to join the conversation.
• Download the ACC Advocacy Action mobile app on iTunes and Google Play to access everything you need for Legislative Conference and connect with Congress.

I look forward to having the cardiovascular community unite in DC this week. Together, we can ensure the voice of cardiology is heard on Capitol Hill.

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