Contact: Nicole Napoli, nnapoli@acc.org, 202-375-6523

WASHINGTON (Apr 09, 2020) -

COVID-19 has proven to have a greater negative impact on patients with cardiovascular disease, which has led to many clinicians looking for guidance on how to manage and care for these vulnerable patients, as well as minimize risk to themselves and the entire cardiovascular care team in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. The American College of Cardiology and MedAxiom, an American College of Cardiology company, have stepped up to bring together some of the world’s leading cardiovascular disease experts to publish and review clinical guidance rapidly, collect statistics on the impact to CV practices and provide a platform for sharing front-line experiences.

The ACC has established a COVID-19 Hub, which is updated daily to provide the most recent and relevant clinical guidance, clinical perspectives, front-line experience accounts, webinars addressing COVID-19 and CV disease management, links to discussion boards and links to national government and medical websites that offer broader information for clinicians managing cardiovascular disease patients.

In mid-February, the ACC recognized a need for guidance on the cardiac implications of COVID-19 when it became apparent that this was not only a lung disease. The first clinical bulletin, “COVID-19 Clinical Guidance For the Cardiovascular Care Team,” was published and made available within days. ACC also put together a webinar led by cardiologists in China to give firsthand accounts of what they saw in the early days of the virus and what can be expected in other countries. Over 18,000 participants from 65 countries joined that webinar live.

MedAxiom recently surveyed its members to gain insight into the initial impact of COVID-19 on CV organizations across the country. They found that in a matter of weeks, cardiovascular practices transitioned from less than 5% of appointments being conducted using telemedicine to over 75% of visits being conducted using telemedicine. These findings are detailed in a new article, “Re-Inventing Cardiovascular Care in Two Weeks:  An industry adapts to a pandemic,” and survey report that provide data and insight into how CV organizations have adjusted to this new normal in a matter of weeks and what actions programs need to take now to ensure viability in the coming months.

Documents are being created and added to the COVID-19 Hub daily. ACC and MedAxiom are making the cardiovascular community aware of the documents as often as possible, but check the ACC COVID-19 Hub and MedAxiom Hub frequently for the most recent updates.

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

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