February 21, 2018
Chapter Engagement

ACC's Advocacy Program offers a variety of opportunities for members to engage in ACC's policy priorities. The annual Legislative Conference, held in Washington, DC, facilitates meetings between ACC member attendees and their Congressional representatives. The major "asks" that our members brought to Congress at last year's conference (permitting physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac rehab; extending funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program; simplifying electronic medical records meaningful use; and increasing National Institutes of Health funding) were all signed into law this month! The ACC Political Action Committee (ACCPAC) is the non-partisan political voice of the ACC, using personal contributions from ACC members to support and inform members of Congress on issues that affect our patients and the practice of cardiology. ACCPAC supports ACC's policy priorities, and allows members to further amplify their voices on Capitol Hill. Read about these issues, and learn more about the ACCPAC! Read below for why other FITs have joined ACCPAC, and why you should too.

"The ACCPAC is one of the best ways that we can extend our reach as health care providers out of the exam room. If we don't speak up for our patients and represent their needs, then no one else will. Just remember – if you are not at the legislative table, you are on the menu! And the best way to get our voices and ideas represented is to support our ACCPAC." – Sandeep Krishnan, MD, ACCPAC member and FIT at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

"At the ACC, we're proud of our internationally respected patient registries and clinical guidelines, but world-leading clinical care doesn't matter much if our patients don't have access to comprehensive, affordable health care. This is why medicine needs good policy, and my membership in the ACCPAC ensures cardiology has a voice. With trust in the press and scientific institutions at all-time lows, our membership in the ACCPAC is needed now more than ever." – Aaron Kithcart, MD, PhD, ACCPAC member and FIT at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

"We constantly find ourselves at the mercy of systems and processes developed by policy makers removed from on the ground clinical practice. Support for the ACCPAC lets us ensure that the physician voice is represented in local, state, and national advocacy and that we, as critical stakeholders, have a seat at the policy making table." – Nino Mihatov, MD, ACCPAC member, ACC Emerging Advocacy Program participant and FIT at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.