American College of Cardiology

June, 2007
Vol. 4 No. 6

• Register for 2007 Legislative Conference; Apply for Travel Awards
• Urge Congress to Stop Medicare Physician Payment Cuts
• Appropriateness Criteria for TTE/TEE
• Education Opportunities
• Last Issue of FIT Forum
• Job Opportunities
• ACC Cardiology Careers

Registration is open for ACC’s 2007 Legislative Conference, Sept. 16 to 18, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. Fellows in Training are strongly encouraged to attend this important event to take part in activities that could help shape their professional futures. The ACC has made a select number of travel awards available to cover up to $1,000 in airfare, hotel and other expenses. To apply for these awards, send an e-mail to fitlegconf@acc.org. Please provide your full name, address and a brief explanation on why you’d like to attend. Award recipients will be announced in early July. Click here to learn more about the 2007 Legislative Conference and register.

Act Now: Urge Congress to Stop Medicare Physician Payment Cuts

Tell Congress to stop the 10 percent Medicare physician payment cut that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2008. In five out of the last six years, Congress has stepped in at the last minute to stop cuts in Medicare physician payment. However, Congress has yet to approve a permanent solution to the flawed payment formula. Once again, we must urge Congress to act this year to stop the cuts and fix the problem. Without congressional intervention, and a permanent solution, physicians face cuts totaling up to 40 percent by 2015. With competing spending priorities on Capitol Hill, lawmakers must hear from their physician constituents to ensure action is taken to stop the cuts. Use the ACC’s Grassroots Hotline (800-210-7193) to contact your members of Congress today!

Appropriateness Criteria for TTE/TEE Posted Online

The ACC’s new Appropriateness Criteria for TTE/TEE is now posted online and will be published in the July 10 issue of JACC. Also, July Cardiology features two articles about the new criteria: One by Pamela S. Douglas, M.D., M.A.C.C.; the other from Michael Picard, M.D., F.A.C.C. Both were involved in the development of the criteria. These new criteria add another tool to help cardiovascular professionals ensure the highest quality of care for their patients. Click here to view the Criteria.

Posters and Registration for the 3RD Annual Integrated Imaging Program
The American College of Cardiology is accepting abstracts for a poster session being held as part of the 3rd Annual Integrated Imaging in Clinical Cardiovascular Practice, August 9-11, 2007, at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, Mass. Young clinical investigators and other members of the Cardiac Care Team are invited to submit their research. Click here to check for the submissions deadlines and additional information on the program.

Remember that ACCEL in MP3 is Free for FITs  
ACC Fellows in Training may easily search for specific ACCEL files and download files to their MP3 players for free. ACCEL, which stands for ACC Extended Learning, features audio interviews with  many of the top experts in cardiovascular medicine. Recent interviews include “Reproductive Issues for Females with Congenital Heart Disease: Determining Pregnancy Risk” with Samuel Siu, M.D., F.A.C.C., and “Chronic Angina: Impact on Society: To Cath or Not to Cath” with Peter Berger, M.D., F.A.C.C. Just sign onto cardiosource.com with your member login and password and go to ACCEL. You can also subscribe to ACCEL on CD at the reduced.

This will be the last issue of the FIT Forum e-newsletter. Be sure to check the FIT section in Cardiology magazine for FIT News, opinions and commentary. Consider also submitting your ideas for articles or contributions to Eugene K. Soh, Michael Emery or James Beckerman, who are the FIT editors of the column in Cardiology, or you may submit contributions directly to Anne Dees.

EAST
June 2007
Position Available – Erie, Pa. Interventional Cardiologist Opening in NW Pa. To join a group of 13 cardiologists in Erie, Pa. at Saint Vincent Health Center, a 413-bed tertiary care center. Member of The Regional Heart Network, which provides mobile Cardiac CT Angiography for the member hospitals. Recently named # 1 hospital in Pennsylvania for providing the best overall cardiac services.  Experience sandy beaches on Lake Erie with some of the best sunsets ever seen.  Excellent benefit package with early partnership.  Contact Sue McCreary, (814)452-7822; FAX: (814)455-1524; email smccrear@svhs.org; www.saintvincenthealth.com.   Not a J-1 visa opportunity. April 2007

Since 1994 employers and cardiovascular specialists alike have recognized the ACC’s job bank as the “go-to” recruitment resource. On average more than 1,300 candidates contact prospective employers via the ACC’s job bank annually. The site averages about 600 job openings each month.

With more than 33,000 members, the ACC offers the broadest exposure for employers’ job postings, including the entire ACC Cardiology Careers Community.

Candidates in adult and pediatric cardiology and cardiovascular surgery may

• Search hundreds of quality, cardiology-specific job listings
• Post a CV or résumé, confidentially if desired
• Send a cover letter with a CV or résumé
• Receive e-mail notification of new job postings.