The Heart of Washington        Fall 2008  Our mission: To improve Cardiovascular health for residents of Washington State through education, care, and advocacy.  From Prevention to Intervention: 1st Annual Cardiovascular Medicine Conference On September 20th, 80 cardiologists, nurses, and family doctors enjoyed great presentations from 12 experts on: Controversies in Interventional Cardiology Coronary Disease Screening in High Risk Patients Diastolic Heart Failure Atrial Fibrilation And more . . . Mark your Calendars for our Next Meeting:  STEMI Summit September 27th, Chelan  In partnership with Washington Department of Health and AHA  Seattle:  The Best Place to Be? According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association authored by national and local AHA volunteer, Dr. Graham Nichol, your chances of surviving cardiac arrest vary depending on your location at the time of arrest.  And the study showed that the best place to be is SEATTLE!  “Survival from site to site varied as much as fivefold.  Patients in Seattle who were treated by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) pulled through in 16 percent of cases. In Alabama, they survived just 3 percent of the time.”  HHS Proposes ICD-1 Implementation in 2011 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a new rule that would mandate the use of the International Classification of Diseases Version 10 (ICD-10) on all health care transactions starting on Oct. 1, 2011. This would replace the 13,000 existing ICD-9 diagnosis codes with more than 68,000 ICD-10 diagnosis codes. ICD-10 codes are a different format, and thus would require all codes to be reformatted. The proposed rule does not include a transition period during which both sets of codes may be used. Although use of the ICD-10 classification system could result in more precise descriptions of diseases that would improve public health reporting and pay-for-performance reporting, it might also result in significant costs and administrative problems for hospitals and offices.  The ACC is currently examining the proposed rule and considering a response that will attempt to examine the cost/benefit analysis prepared by HHS. The proposed rule can be found in the Federal Register.  Participate in an Online Survey on 2007 PQRI Did you participate in the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI)?  If so, the American Medical Association (AMA) needs your help!  Please respond to this brief confidential online survey http://survey.confirmit.com/wix1/p709681010.aspx  which will take only 10 – 15 minutes of your time.  Information gathered from the survey process will allow the AMA and other medical specialty and state organizations to effectively advocate for changes in the PQRI.  Paste the above link in your browser to complete the survey. Strong Chapters Equal Strong ACC by Jane Schauer, MD, FACC President, ACC Board of Governors  While the American College of Cardiology (ACC) works hard and effectively to provide education, quality initiatives and advocacy for all its members, to paraphrase a famous line from former Speaker of the House “Tip” O’Neill Jr. – “All health care is local.”  The Washington Chapter, along with the ACC’s other 48 Chapters, is a critical link to other cardiovascular specialists in Washington.  We provide critical local education, quality and advocacy opportunities and play a key role when it comes to networking, leadership building and mentoring.  Given the invaluable roles all Chapters play, the ACC Board of Trustees recently approved the implementation of mandatory Chapter dues for active physician members.  The goal is to provide Chapters with the resources necessary to develop innovative education and advocacy programs and enhance the benefits of Chapter membership.  One of the major challenges for the Washington Chapter today is to remain fiscally viable despite a political and economic climate that is making health care funding increasingly difficult to secure and/or narrowly limited in scope.  Other similarly situated medical associations, such as the American College of Physicians, implemented mandatory dues and have seen an increase in Chapter membership and a greater sense of involvement from their members as a result.  Enabling a baseline membership experience is extremely important to energizing grassroots Chapter work.  It is our hope that mandatory dues will lead to greater involvement and ownership in the great work that the Washington Chapter is already doing.  The practice of cardiovascular medicine is increasingly affected by legislators and regulators at the state and national levels.  Member involvement at every level is crucial for success, and Chapters are key to involvement at the local level. Without mandatory Chapter dues, we run the risk of limiting the education, advocacy and quality improvement programs that are necessary to ensuring the highest quality care for patients.  We also run the risk of disengagement by members.  The ACC’s annual dues statements will be arriving in mailboxes this month and will reflect the mandatory Chapter dues decision.  In the coming months, you’ll see a new look for the national Chapters Web site (www.acc.org/chapters).  You’ll also see an increased effort to keep you informed about Chapter opportunities and more information about how every member of the cardiovascular care team can benefit from Chapter involvement.  Strong Chapters mean an even stronger ACC, and we are excited about the opportunities to make the ACC as strong as it can be.  ACC Chapters:  Your Local Champions The Washington Chapter provides a number of opportunities for cardiovascular specialists in Washington.  Some opportunities include: Opening your practice to lawmakers as part of a “Cardiologist for a Day’ program Taking part in a local lobby day Writing to your lawmakers or local papers about issues that affect your practice and patients Taking part in a quality improvement pilot Speaking at local or state events about health care reform, Medicare payment, etc. Taking part in educational programs such as the Chapter’s annual meeting Getting involved in Chapter governance and committees For more information visit www.accwa.org and/or contact Lianna at aminc1@comcast.net.