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Geriatric Cardiology Section | The August Issue of Cardiology, YOUR Member Magazine, is Live! Read it All Online!
The August 2018 issue of Cardiology, YOUR member magazine, is now live! Cardiology provides cardiovascular professionals with comprehensive clinical, professional and health policy news; feature-length articles on the top trends and innovations in cardiovascular medicine; expert commentary from leaders in the cardiovascular field; quick-read summaries of the latest research from the JACC Journals and other major cardiovascular journals; profiles of ACC members, like you; and so much more!
Tweet #CardiologyMagEditor's Corner | Patient-Generated Care
So, the saga continues. Last year we talked about how Facebook would make our medical lives better by providing access to the broad expanse of information on social media. The information is continuous, acts like news and is becoming a favorite method for keeping up with medical information because of its ready availability and broad access. A quick review of the social media news feeds provides a fast and easy way to keep up-to-date.
Cover Story | Impact and Consequences of Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common sustained arrhythmia, with a rising prevalence leading to increased comorbidities, including stroke, heart failure (HF) and dementia. AFib affects an estimated 2.7 to 6.7 million people in the U.S., with 5.6 to 15.9 million cases expected by 2050. Globally, AFib was estimated at 33.5 million people in 2010, with approximately 5 million new cases diagnosed annually.
Feature | The Dog Days of August: Celebrating Their Gift to Our Wellness
What’s one way to improve clinician (and even patient) well-being? Get a dog! From Hermes to Boba Fetch, cardiovascular professionals from around the world resoundingly answered Cardiology's call for photos for this month's "Dog Days of August" spread.
Whether it's serving as a running partner, a friendly face after a long day of residency training, or helping to make patient rounds at the hospital, dogs clearly bring joy to the lives of so many.
Feature | Math, Computers and Cardiovascular Care: How Computational Health Can Push the Boundaries of Medicine
The ACC and the Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (YNHH/CORE) recently announced the formation of the Institute for Computational Health (ICH), a joint initiative intended to accelerate the application of advanced computational methods to medicine and health care.
Feature | A Case Study: Optimizing CV Risk Factor Control in an "Extreme Risk" Patient
Mr. Joseph is a 69-year-old man who has had type 2 diabetes (T2D) for 10 years, which he manages with diet and metformin. He’s a nonsmoker. He had a myocardial infarction one year ago, and was recently hospitalized for heart failure (HF). His HbA1c is 9.2 percent and LDL-C is 99 mg/dL, with a blood pressure (BP) of 138/88 mm Hg. In addition to metformin, the patient is on 80 mg of atorvastatin and is taking daily aspirin.
Number Check | Cardiologists' Perception of Risk
In this month's print-quality information graphic, CardioSurve provides insights from cardiologists on their perception of risk.
Quality Improvement for Institutions | NCDR Study Finds DOJ Investigation Associated With Decrease in ICD Procedures Not Meeting CMS Criteria
Between 2007 and 2015, the volume and proportion of primary prevention ICD implantations that did not meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) National Coverage Determination (NCD) decreased at all hospitals across the U.S., according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. There were larger declines at hospitals that later settled with the Department of Justice (DOJ) after a DOJ investigation into potential overuse of ICDs.
Innovation at ACC | Two More Advances From the Innovation Challenge
The Innovation Challenge, held at ACC.18, brought forward new solutions in cardiovascular medicine that have the potential to contribute to better outcomes and refine clinical practice. The pitch competition, a collaboration between ACC and AngelMD, featured eight finalists, selected from a field of 64 startups.
Cardiology’s four-part series has explored the path of these entrepreneurs from concept to the pitch competition and their next steps. In this closing article, we talk with the leaders of ThermoMorph in the medical device category and HealthPals in the digital health category.
Innovation at ACC | Innovating to Reduce Physician Burnout
In early 2018, Medscape released a report on physician burnout. The takeaways, unsurprisingly, are not good.
The number of clinicians, including those in cardiology, who report feeling “burned out” or otherwise depressed continues to climb. All the while, we’re seeing even more demands on their time.
From the Members Sections | Meet the "Youngest" ACC Section
Pop quiz! Which of these was most recently granted status as an ACC section?
- Fellows in Training
- Cardiovascular Team
- Early Career
- Senior Cardiovascular Professionals
It’s a fact! Each of these are valuable sections, providing substantial benefits to their focused groups. But, the answer is... Senior Cardiovascular Professionals. Approved in March 2018 by College leadership, it’s the youngest section but with the oldest members. Its mission statement is: The promotion of activities that provide mutual benefit to the ACC and its senior professionals.
JACC in a Flash
Featured topics and Editors' Picks from all of ACC’s JACC Journals.
Review Addresses Unmet Need For Dyslipidemia Therapy in Hypertriglyceridemia Management
Despite the important role of high-intensity statins in reducing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, substantial residual risk persists, according to a state-of-the-art review article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Virtual Reality Transforming CV Treatment, Outcomes
Rapid advancements in the field of virtual reality are leading to new developments in cardiovascular treatment and improved outcomes for patients, according to a paper published in JACC: Basic to Translational Science.
DOACs Associated With Reduced Risk of Intracranial Hemorrhage, All-Cause Mortality in Women
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are associated with a lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage and all-cause mortality among women with atrial fibrillation (AFib), according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Lipoprotein(a) Associated with CV Disease in Some Women
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with cardiovascular disease in women with high levels of total cholesterol, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Journal Wrap
The hottest research from various peer-reviewed journals – handpicked weekly by the ACC.org Editorial Board led by Kim Eagle, MD, MACC.
Study Finds CV, Renal Effects of Canagliflozin Consistent Across Different Levels of Kidney Function
The cardiovascular and renal effects of the sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor canagliflozin are consistent across different levels of kidney function in people with type 2 diabetes who have or are at high risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in Circulation.
Does Nurse-Led Medication Management Lower BP?
The use of electronic health record (EHR)-based medical management tools in addition to nurse-led self-management education may lower blood pressure (BP), when compared with using EHR tools alone. This also may improve understanding of medication instructions and dosing, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Mid-Life Hypertension Associated with Dementia
Systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥130 mm Hg at age 50 is associated with increased risk of dementia, according to research in the European Heart Journal. This excess risk is independent of cardiovascular disease.
Is There an Association Between Participation in the BPCI Initiative and Medicare Payments?
Hospital participation in five common medical bundles under the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative, when compared with nonparticipation, may not be associated with changes in Medicare payments, clinical complexity, length of stay, emergency department use, hospital readmission or mortality, according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Do Pooled Cohort Equations Overestimate ASCVD Risk?
Without including surveillance for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), observed risks may be lower than predicted by pooled cohort equations, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The Pulse of ACC
Earn European CME Credit With JACC; First HeartCARE Center Designation; and More.
ACC Announces New CEO
Timothy W. Attebery, MBA, FACHE, will take the helm of the ACC starting Sept. 1 as its next chief executive officer (CEO).
Attebery comes to the ACC from Ballad Health in Kingsport, TN, where he served as president and CEO of Holston Valley Medical Center since 2013. At Ballad Health, Attebery led the large, tertiary referral center and teaching hospital under a model focused on patient safety, quality, service, collaboration with the medical staff, employee engagement, efficiency and equity.
ACC Awards First HeartCARE Center Designation
The ACC recently recognized CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital — Tyler in Tyler, TX, as the first recipient of the HeartCARE Center, a National Distinction of Excellence program, for its demonstrated commitment to comprehensive, high-quality culture and cardiovascular care through accreditations and ongoing registry reporting.
Earn European CME Credit With JACC
Clinicians can now earn European Continuing Medical Education (ECME) credits by completing online activities for select Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) articles.
Heart of Health Policy
Updates on Health Policy News Affecting Practice.
Highlights of Proposed Medicare PFS and QPP from CMS
Each July the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) releases its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) addressing Medicare payment and quality provisions for the coming year.
Learn More at Legislative Conference
Don’t miss experts discussing the implications of all the proposed rules at ACC’s 2018 Legislative Conference Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 in Washington, DC.
HOPPS Highlights
On July 25, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System for 2019.
Updated Expert Consensus Document Outlines Operator, Institutional Recommendations For TAVR: ACC Joins Other Societies, Recommending Framework to Further Advance Field
The ACC, along with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), have released an updated Expert Consensus Systems of Care document regarding operator and institutional recommendations and requirements for TAVR. The original document was published in 2011.
Harold on History | ACC International: A Legacy of Global Advocacy and Education
Next month, the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly will hold the third high-level meeting on the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in New York. The meeting will focus on what progress has been made to date in reaching the global target of a 25 percent reduction by 2025 in premature mortality from heart disease and stroke.
