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April 19, 2017

Insights For Early Career Professionals

Early Career Professional Events at ACC.17

By Scott M. Lilly, MD, PhD, FACC, chair-elect of the Early Career Section.

ACC's Annual Scientific Session keeps getting better and better – and this year was no exception. Whether it was the design, programming or location, ACC.17 was the most energetic meeting I've attended. This year, the Early Career lounge was located right outside the main tent – and was a busy place, often used for preparing talks, reviewing programs, networking with old friends and meeting new ones. Read more on ACC.org.

Does the Past Dictate the Future? Responsible Stewardship From the Youngest Among Us: 'Pearls of Wisdom' for Early Career Professionals from the members of the Senior Cardiology Work Group

By Michael Wolk, MD, MACC, past president of the ACC.

"Like so many Americans, I am concerned about the economy and our war on terrorism both at home and abroad. National polls indicate that jobs and the economy consistently rank high among voter priorities, but health care is not far behind. And when it comes to health care, the issues facing the President and Congress are indeed daunting." "Appropriate cardiovascular care used to be solely in the head of the beholder. Before the advent of cardiovascular diagnostic breakthroughs, physicians relied on intuition and last case result to sort out individual treatment. Universal based practice based on the evidence was a dream. But now we have developed excellent cardiovascular care pathways, guidelines, performance measures and appropriate use criteria, in the belief that we can learn from each other without stumbling through the rocks ourselves." Both of these statements come from President Pages that I wrote in 2004, well over 13 years ago. What are the lessons learned? Read more on ACC.org.

Episode Payment Models – A Primer

By Sunny Jhamnani, MD, clinical fellow in cardiology, vascular medicine and endovascular interventions at Yale University/Yale-New Haven Hospital/VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and a member of ACC's Emerging Advocates Program.

On Dec. 20, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final ruling on the Episode Payment Models. The proposed ruling was initially released on July 25, 2016, and subsequently underwent a period of review and comments, a process in which the ACC participated. For CMS, this was a step in the direction of moving from quantity to quality or volume to value to define payment for services performed. These examples, like several others proposed, are now in place including the Quality Payment Program of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Read more on ACC.org.

Email Kristin West, kwest@acc.org, for more information on how to get involved in the Early Career Section.

The Buzz

• Left Atrial Closure Devices: Can a First Impression Really be Changed?
• Multimodality Imaging: Challenges For Cardiology's Youngest But Oldest Specialty
• Focused Update of the Valvular Heart Disease Guideline Released
  Journal of the American College of Cardiology
• Watch an Expert Roundtable With Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC, on Hot Trials From ACC.17
• ECG of the Month: 82-Year-Old Man Presents to ER For Chest Discomfort
• ACC Update: MOC Assessments in 2018 and Beyond

What's Trending on #ACCEarlyCareer

• Webinar: How to Find the Right Mentor
• HHS Delays Start Date For Episode Payment Models
• JACC Leadership Page: Team Up!

Upcoming Events and Deadlines

• 4/19, 7:00 p.m. ET
  Webinar: How to Find the Right Mentor
• 6/22 – 6/24
  2017 ACC Latin American Conference
  Mexico City, Mexico
• 6/22 – 6/24
  Care of the Athletic Heart
  Park City, UT