Clinicians are continuously working to provide high-quality, patient-centered, cost-efficient care to their patients. In a time of rapid health care change, balancing all of this while also striving to achieve operational excellence and financial success is a significant challenge.

Recognizing the need for solutions to help cardiovascular professionals thrive in this time of change, C. Michael Valentine, MD, FACC, vice president of the ACC, Howard T. Walpole Jr., MD, MBA, FACC, a member of ACC’s Cardiovascular Management Section Leadership Council, and Pamela S. Douglas, MD, MACC, past president of the ACC, created the Cardiovascular Summit several years ago. Since then, the course has evolved to meet the current needs of entire the cardiovascular care team and covers topics that are especially relevant to members of ACC’s Cardiovascular Management Section, which focuses on issues related to cardiovascular enterprise management.

At the 2016 Summit, hundreds of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, cardiovascular administrators and others gathered in Las Vegas, NV, to discuss, discover and develop the best solutions and strategies for today’s challenges. Over three days, attendees took part in interactive sessions on topics related to national drivers, the business of medicine, operational excellence and leadership, and quality and efficiency.

The new Medicare payment landscape dominated the conversation at the 2016 Summit. While the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) holds significant promise for the future of health care delivery, there is still an abundance of unknowns that have caused anxiety for health care professionals. Numerous sessions and a mini-intensive led by Cathleen Biga, MSN, RN, and other experts helped attendees piece together the MACRA puzzle.

As health care continues down the path to value, disruptive leadership and innovative solutions for the management and operation of the cardiovascular enterprise in all settings will be paramount to ensure there is a system that works for patients, practices and providers alike. While the cardiovascular community has mastered clinical excellence, the paradigm shift in medicine requires all members of the cardiovascular care team to hone their leadership skills in order to shape the future of cardiology.

Save the date for the 2017 Cardiovascular Summit, Jan. 26 – 28 in Orlando, FL.

Learn more about the CV Management Section at ACC.org/CVManagement.

Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Anxiety, Delivery of Health Care, Health Personnel, Leadership, Medicare, Nurse Practitioners, Patient-Centered Care, Physician Assistants