ACC 2022 Annual Report

Download the 2022 Annual Report as a print quality PDF.

From celebrating 25 years of helping hospitals advance patient care and outcomes through its NCDR registries to optimizing the clinical guideline process in partnership with the American Heart Association, the ACC is continuing to find new ways to help clinicians and administrators transform data into practice.

We Are Advancing Quality Care

Celebrating 25 Years of NCDR

In 2022, the ACC celebrated 25 years of NCDR and helping hospitals, health systems and other facilities optimize patient care, outcomes and operational decisions through data-driven insights, analysis and research. From its flagship CathPCI Registry, the NCDR has grown into a comprehensive suite of registries helping to measure and quantify quality improvement, identify and close gaps in guideline-recommended care and optimize the implementation and use of new treatments and therapies.

We Are Advancing Quality Care

The 2023 U.S. News & World Report "Best Hospitals" guidebook recognizes the more than 2,000 hospitals participating in NCDR and/or ACC Accreditation Services.

We Are Advancing Quality Care
 
Ultimately, NCDR has provided support for quality improvement in a way that has touched the lives of more than 100 million individuals, which is truly its biggest accomplishment. 

– Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH, MACC

We Are Advancing Quality Care

Translating Science into Clinical Practice: Guideline Optimization

The ACC continued its work alongside the American Heart Association to optimize the clinical guideline process from pre-production review to final dissemination, with the goal of creating guidelines that are more concise, timely, accessible, patient-centered and applicable to clinicians worldwide. New guidelines now make use of a new modular format that break them up to include recommendations, a brief synopsis, supporting tools and visual elements to support understanding. Additionally, guidelines also now offer cost-value considerations – with a focus on social determinants of health, where appropriate.

Recognizing that interactive tools and providing clinical guidance are also an important piece of guideline adherence and implementation, the ACC created hubs around new guidelines that include links to clinical tools, mobile apps, CardioSmart patient education and more. These resources work to support clinical decision-making and help providers integrate recommendations at the point of care.

We Are Advancing Quality Care

Two New Guidelines Releases in 2022

Aortic Disease

Heart Failure

 

Heart House Roundtables and Patient Forums: Convening Stakeholders to Transform Care

Throughout 2022, the ACC convened nationally-recognized experts spanning cardiology, government agencies, industry leaders and more to participate in in-depth and facilitated discussions at a series of Heart House Roundtables and one Patient Forum. These discussions gave participants an opportunity to explore practical issues that clinicians and patients face every day and brainstorm possible collaborations and solutions.

The ACC hosted the following four Heart House Roundtables and one Patient Forum in 2022:

  • Emerging Strategies and Criteria for the Diagnosis and Management of Myocarditis – May 2022
  • Recent Advances and Ongoing Challenges in HFpEF – June 2022
  • Ongoing Dilemmas With Surveillance and Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation – October 2022
  • Adult Immunization to Promote Cardiovascular Health – November 2022
  • Patient Forum: Patient Perspectives: Meeting Key Challenges Along the HFpEF Journey – June 2022

Heart Failure and SGLT2s: The New Pillar in Care

The ACC introduced a new initiative designed to provide practical guidance for cardiologists on the implementation of SGLT2 inhibitors into treatment of patients with heart failure, providing educational tools for clinicians and patient resources through ACC's CardioSmart patient education platform.

CardioSmart: Improving Outcomes Through Patient Education

1M

Unique page views for CardioSmart.org

56

Infographics, including 10 new infographics in 2022

49k

Infographic downloads

2

New patient hubs in 2022

46

Worksheets

29

Fact Sheets

8

Action plans

CardioSmart continues to support health care conversations between patients and providers with infographics, decision-making tools, action plans and more, while providing focused education that empowers patients to take an active role in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease.

This year CardioSmart tackled critical and timely topics like adult immunization, encouraging diverse representation of participants in clinical trials, screening for familial hypercholesterolemia, and more.

Online Courses Supporting Guideline-Driven Care

The ACC launched a collection of resources and free online courses addressing timely and important topics including familial hypercholesterolemia, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis and vaccinations. The courses provide infographics, expert videos, podcasts and interactive learning modules to ensure clinicians across the care team are able to stay up to date on the latest science and guidelines.

Clinical Guidance in 2022

Expert Consensus Document
Integrating Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Multimorbity Treatment: Pragmatic, Patient-Centered Care Framework

Expert Consensus Document
Evaluation and Disposition of Acute Chest Pain in the Emergency Department

Health Policy Statement
Career Flexibility in Cardiology

Health Policy Statement
Building Respect, Civility, and Inclusion in the Cardiovascular Workplace

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