The purpose of our website is to provide information to our member cardiologists and also to be a valuable resource of information to the public. Our website provides listings of our physicians based on location as well as subspecialties, as well as informative articles regarding heart health.

Through our website, Chapter members can access the ACC Online Job Bank, as well as receive updates to important issues related to the profession of Cardiology in Massachusetts.

Partner Up!, Risk Down!

Join key health care organizations and agencies in the state participating in the Million Hearts™ initiative at a statewide learning event focused on assisting primary care providers in their efforts to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in local communities.

• Date: ATTENTION: Re-Scheduled to Tuesday, April 2, 2013
  
  
• Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm ET
  
  
• Venue: Publick House, Sturbridge, MA

The Million Hearts™ initiative was introduced by the Department of Health and Human Services in September, 2011 to address the prevention of one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017 by reducing cardiovascular risk factors. This national program led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has created national partnerships among numerous organizations and agencies to promote this important goal. In Massachusetts, the partnerships, formed among several statewide organizations and agencies, have brought the Million Hearts™ initiative to the local level.

On April 2, 2013, a live partnership event will take place at the Publick House in Sturbridge, MA. The meeting will provide the opportunity for primary care providers and practices to join with the many MA partners to discuss several objectives including:

• the challenges associated with heart attack and stroke reduction,
• the management of key cardiovascular risk factors in the primary care practice
• awareness of current programs that work to reduce CV risk factors
• learn what local organizations and agencies are doing to support the primary care provider and this initiative.

Activities like Partner Up! Risk Down! are how these organizations will help Million Hearts™ prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. The public-private Million Hearts™ initiative encourages everyone to become one in a million by taking the online pledge (millionhearts.hhs.gov). Million Hearts™ brings together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private-sector partners from across the country to fight heart disease and stroke by:

• Empowering Americans to make healthy choices such as stopping smoking and reducing sodium and trans fat in their diets. This can reduce the number of people who need blood pressure or cholesterol medications—and prevent heart attacks and strokes.
• Improving care for Americans who have heart disease by encouraging a targeted focus on the “ABCS” – Aspirin for people at risk, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation. The ABCS address the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease and can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

• Additional Information

The Best of ACC.13 Is Coming to Your Backyard
Join your colleagues in Boston from April 26 – 27 for a look at the latest, practice changing topics in cardiovascular medicine today, including clinical pearls from ACC.13. Interact with world-class faculty in an intimate setting as we cover a variety of topics of particular relevance to practicing cardiovascular specialists during this innovative, one-and-a-half day course.

The Best of ACC.13: Take Home Messages for the Clinician will feature educational highlights from the ACC’s 62nd Annual Scientific Session (ACC.13), offering a personal and interactive setting to learn about the latest advances in cardiovascular diseases. Don’t miss:

• A comprehensive year-in-review
• Case-based scenarios
• Vital information from late breaking clinical trials presented at ACC.13
• Summaries from the highest scored oral abstracts presented at ACC.13
• Key takeaways from recently released clinical guidelines

ACC Provides an Update on “Value Based Purchasing”
CMS is progressively implementing requirements included in the Affordable Care Act of 2009 that call for “value-based purchasing” (VBP) in all major payment systems in Medicare. Value-based purchasing involves three major elements for physicians:

1. Confidential feedback on performance and resource use
2. Public Reporting
3. Payment adjustment/value modifier

March 2012 Newsletter