Contact: Stephanie Abraham, sabraham@acc.org, 202-375-6296

“The ACC supports the use of health information technology as an important tool for providing high quality patient care. To ensure that health IT is properly implemented, the requirements for meaningful use must be deliberate and specifically tailored to ensure that decisions are not made merely to capture incentives, but to change the way care is furnished in this country,” said William Oetgen, MD, MBA, ACC Senior Vice President, Science and Quality.

“CMS made the right decision in delaying Stage 2 implementation to give physicians, practices and hospitals more time to adjust to the new requirements,” Dr. Oetgen said. “We are encouraged to see that CMS has included reporting to specialized registries as one of the proposed menu-set objectives and look forward to reviewing the proposed standards and certification requirements that will help to implement this new objective. As we continue to review the proposed regulation, we hope we will find additional thoughtful changes to the program that will promote an efficient, patient-centered healthcare community rather than increasing healthcare complexity. We appreciate CMS’ consideration of our input and the recognition of the importance of specialty society registries.”

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About the American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology is transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The College is a 40,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at www.cardiosource.org/ACC.

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