February is Heart Month

Every February since Lyndon Johnson proclaimed American Heart Month in 1963, there is an unique opportunity to shine a public spotlight on the impacts of cardiovascular disease and the importance of not only understanding the signs and symptoms, but also learning how to prevent heart disease.

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Beth Denny
ACC.22 | Washington DC

ACC.22 will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 2 – 4, 2022 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Planning is well underway promising an unbeatable world-class line-up of sessions live and in person!

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Beth Denny
Welcome New Councilor, Dr. Dharini Ramu

Dr. Dharini Ramu, MD, FACC is an Assistant Professor in Cardiology in the Medical University of South Carolina, specializing in Advanced heart failure and Cardio-Oncology. On completing medical school in India, she pursued internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at the University of Connecticut/ Hartford Hospital program including a year as Chief fellow. She went on to complete an additional fellowship in Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. She has been on faculty at MUSC since 2016 and is currently the Director of the Cardio-Oncology program and the Co-Director of the CVICU.

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Beth Denny
Letter from the Chapter Governor

I suspect many of you are very happy to see 2020 in the rear-view mirror. It was a challenging time for those health care workers in the front lines; this would include most of us on the cardiology team. It was a year that required adaptation to ever-changing work conditions. It was a year that required facing real danger to our own, as well as our loved ones' health.

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Beth Denny
Understanding MOC Assessment and Points Requirements

There are two components within MOC that we need to be aware of – the assessment requirement and the points requirement (Figure 1). The assessment section is the certification that needs to be renewed, traditionally every 10 years. New assessment options, however, are mentioned below that promote ongoing learning and do not follow the traditional 10-year path.

The points requirement refers to the need to earn 100 MOC points every five years (and at least one MOC point every two years) with points earned from a variety of topics. If you are a sub-specialty fellow, then 20 MOC points are automatically earned each year of eligible fellowship training. In addition to participating in assessments, points accumulate during our routine activities (Figure 1). For example, entering your ABIM credentials into UpToDate® earns 0.25 MOC points each time you search. Journal articles and the Online Learning Catalog on ACC.org offer free MOC points as well. Furthermore, scientific meetings, local grand rounds, and specialty courses are also sources of MOC points.

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Beth Denny
Current Key Questions on COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease

The following is a digest of ACC's clinical guidance on the cardiac implications of COVID-19.

Organized in an FAQ format for easy navigation, this guidance is summarized from more extensive documents and approved by the ACC Science and Quality Committee. This FAQ is intended to be topical, not comprehensive.

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Beth Denny
ACC’s CV Summit Now Available on Demand

Missed ACC’s Cardiovascular Summit Virtual last week? All sessions, including the plenary session featuring Anthony S. Fauci, MD, are available on demand through April 30. Check out poster research from the conference, including a poster highlighting how better understanding of variations in total cost of care for percutaneous coronary intervention, when evaluated against related quality of care measures in ACC's CathPCI Registry, may help facilities improve the value of care delivery. And don’t miss an ACC Health Care Innovation Section survey that found robust interest in video visitations and telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.

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Beth Denny
ACC Statement Urges COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization For Highest Risk CVD Patients

COVID-19 vaccine prioritization should prioritize those with advanced cardiovascular disease over well-managed cardiovascular disease, according to an ACC health policy statement published Feb. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. All cardiovascular disease patients face a higher risk of COVID-19 complications and should receive the vaccine quickly, but recommendations in the paper serve to guide clinicians in prioritizing their most vulnerable patients within the larger cardiovascular disease group, while considering disparities in COVID-19 outcomes among different racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic levels.

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Beth Denny
Urge Your Member of Congress to Cosponsor HR 8702

This legislation affects reimbursement for us in the near future. It is very easy to participate; simply click the link below “Urge Your Member of Congress to Cosponsor HR 8702.” The ACC has already drafted the letter for us; all that is required is to enter name/email/address and it is automatically sent to our representative (s) in the House.

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Beth Denny
Explore a New Pathway to the FACC Designation

The Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC) designation has long stood for excellence in cardiovascular medicine and a commitment to the highest standards of care. Now, the FACC designation – and the prestige it confers – are closer than ever before

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Beth Denny
Mark Your Calendar for ACC.21 Key Dates

As planning moves ahead for ACC.21, May 15 – 17, 2021, in Atlanta, the ACC is excited to announce that registration and call for abstracts will begin this month. Specifically, Early Bird registration will open Wednesday, Oct. 28 for members and Thursday, Nov. 12 for nonmembers.

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Beth Denny