The Pulse of ACC | The ACC’s California Chapter (CA-ACC) had much to celebrate this spring with the defeat of Senate Bill 1215 (S.B 1215), which sought to remove the in-office ancillary exception for advanced modality imaging (including PET, CT and MRI) and many other services performed outside cardiology. If passed, the legislation would have set a precedent for other states to justify similar proposals.

Thanks to CA-ACC grassroots efforts that involved face-to-face meetings with lawmakers to educate them on the bill’s consequences, the bill was defeated in committee on April 28. During the committee hearing, Norman E. Lepor, MD, FACC, governor-elect of the CA-ACC (Southern), and one of his patients underscored how this legislation would diminish patient care by limiting access to life-saving cardiovascular services and raise the cost to Medicare and patients.

Grassroots efforts such as these are imperative when it comes to ensuring lawmakers understand how their decisions impact the cardiovascular community and patients. ACC members can get involved in advocacy efforts by contacting their local Chapter or ACC Grassroots staff in Washington, DC. The College’s annual Legislative Conference is also an important opportunity to meet not only meet face-to-face with federal lawmakers, but stay up to date on the latest cardiovascular issues before Capitol Hill. This year’s conference will take place Sept. 14 - 16 in Washington, DC. Registration will open this month at ACC.org/LegislativeConference.

Keywords: Washington, Patient Care, California, Medicare, Cardiology Magazine, ACC Publications

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