The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949 to advocate for quality cardiovascular care through education, research promotion, development and application of standards and guidelines, and to influence health care policy. The organization publishes a number of publications for members and the public including ACC News, Cardiology, the ACC Cardiosource Review Journal, CV News Digest, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). JACC also has two 'daughter' journals focused on Cardiovascular Interventions and Cardiovascular Imaging. The organization has 48 chapters in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Its current president is Ralph G. Brindis, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.C., and its CEO is Jack Lewin, M.D. The ACC has been called the "leading professional society for heart specialists."[1]
Contents |
The American College of Cardiology was chartered and incorporated as a teaching institution in 1949, and established its headquarters, called Heart House, in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1977. In 2006, the College relocated to Washington, D.C., near Foggy Bottom.
The ACC is governed by its officers, including the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, the Chief Executive Officer, and the Board of Trustees. Members of the Board of Governors serve as grassroots liaisons between the local chapters and the College’s national headquarters. The president serves a one-year term.
The ACC has 37,000 members, including physicians, registered nurses, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, doctors of pharmacology and practice administrators, specializing in cardiovascular care. The College has several membership categories. Physician members are bestowed with the credential Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (F.A.C.C.). Those achieving highest distinction in the field are awarded the title Master of the American College of Cardiology (M.A.C.C.). This honor is bestowed upon a maximum of three cardiologists in practice each year, with the current president of the ACC receiving the fourth M.A.C.C. award each year. The ACC has three additional member categories: cardiac care associates (CCA), practice administrators and fellows in training (FIT).
The ACC has 48 chapters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Chapters carry out the mission of the ACC at the local level. Chapters consist of a president, a council, committees and members. Chapters are legally distinct entities from national ACC and do not share budgets or staffing. However, as of 2008, national members automatically become a member of a local chapter.
The ACC publishes practice guidelines and appropriate use criteria, formerly called appropriateness criteria, intended to improve the quality of cardiovascular care. While practice guidelines define the role of specific diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, appropriate use criteria define "when to do" and "how often to do" a given procedure, depending on context. [1]
The ACC maintains several registries. The College’s largest registry is the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR), which measures and quantifies outcomes and identifies gaps in the delivery of cardiovascular care. Under NCDR, the ACC maintains six smaller registries. The registries include one office-based pilot registry for cardiac patients, called the Improving Continuous Cardiac Care Program (IC3), and four hospital-based registries: ACTION Registry, CathPCI Registry, ICD Registry, IMPACT Registry and CARE Registry. The IC3 Program is a qualified registry-reporting option for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. [2]
The ACC’s stated advocacy mission is “to develop sound health care policies and to foster an environment in which research, disease prevention, and patient access to quality care are understood, valued and promoted.” [3]
In September 2008, the ACC publicly launched Quality First, a health care reform campaign that focuses on the need for new standards for quality and methods of providing value-based care.[2] The core tenets of the campaign are: patient value; payment incentives for quality care; coordination across sources and sites of care; increased transparency; professionalism; and access to quality care. In addition, Quality First advocates for a revision to the way in which medical providers are reimbursed. An ideal revised payment system would focus on health outcomes, rather than the process of delivering care.[3]
The campaign intends to work with members, lawmakers, patients and other stakeholders to ensure that any health care reform focuses on quality and patient value.[3] ACC CEO Jack Lewin, M.D., said, "The goal of the Quality First campaign is to advocate for the highest quality of care at the most effective cost. We are committed to working with payers, Congress and other organizations on pilot programs, legislation, strengthened quality measures, guidelines and appropriate use of technology."[2]
Quality First has been mentioned in the press[4] and its principles explored in several letters to the editor and opinion pieces.[5]
Other issues on the ACC’s advocacy agenda are:
The ACC offers educational resources to its members, including live programs, digital content and self-assessment programs. The ACC also holds an Annual Scientific Session, which features educational programming and late-breaking clinical trials. In addition, the ACC publishes Cardiosource, a Web site that offers clinical findings, educational resources and video.
The ACC in 2008 launched CardioSmart, a Web site intended to engage and inform cardiovascular patients and their families. CardioSmart has information on cardiovascular conditions and treatments, patient-to-patient and patient-to-cardiovascular professional networking opportunities and cardiovascular-related news.