Dear Colleague, It was another busy month for the IL-ACC chapter. The Board of Councilors met on January 31 at Lutheran General Hospital (thank you Dr. Greenspahn for hosting). One of the priorities the board continues to grapple with is the financial condition of the chapter. Industry support through sponsorships has declined more than 90 percent in just the past couple of years as large pharma companies in particular have changed the rules on how they support state organizations like the IL-ACC. The chapter ran at a deficit in 2007 as it has for the past several years. We need the support of all chapter members to reverse this trend in 2008. How can you help?
Thanks in advance for your help in supporting the chapter. The IL-ACC is a great chapter and your board of councilors is working hard to keep it that way. I promised to keep these monthly newsletters concise. There was quite a bit of news from the ACC Leadership meetings Jan. 25-26 in Washington, D.C. I will touch on some points here and expand on some in future newsletters. |
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| Several initiatives at the national level were discussed at the ACC leadership meeting including the intent that chapter dues would become mandatory in 2009. Also, practice administrators now can join the ACC. The ACC also announced that it would begin offering Continuing Medical Education (CME) certification for chapter meetings beginning in the fall of 2008. | |
| IL-ACC Chapter Reception | |
Mark Saturday March 29 from 5-6:30 p.m. on your calendars for this year’s annual chapter reception at the ACC Scientific Sessions. We will be in the Camelot Room of the Intercontinental Hotel. This year we are asking Illinois Fellows-In-Training to bring their posters for review and discussion. And Dr. Alan Zunamon will be providing favorite jazz tunes on the piano. Don’t miss it! |
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| Practice Management Symposium | |
Mark your calendars: May 16 at the University Club. This year’s Survival Guide will target crisis management for cardiologists, cardiovascular practice administrators, hospital administrators, payers and patients. The full-day program has an outstanding faculty line-up and Jack Lewin, CEO of the ACC, has agreed to be our keynote speaker to discuss Health Care Reform and the Future of Cardiology. We have been approved to offer CME credits this year. Please make room on your calendar for this important and worthwhile program. Full details and registration will be posted on our website: www.ilacc.org |
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| Women In Cardiology | |
This group is meeting Feb. 20 at BICE Ristorante with featured speaker C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D., FACC. She is medical director of the Women’s Heart Center as well as the preventive and rehabilitative cardiac center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and her medical degree from Harvard University. We are very fortunate to have her for this program designed to mentor women in cardiology. |
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| This is An Election Year – Get Involved | |
In this election year it is important to make your voice count. There never is a better time to get the attention of elected officials than when they are running for office. With so many issues affecting health policy and the practice of cardiology it is in your best interests to know who represents you and for you to let them know what issues are important to you. An email or call to your representative(s) is a good start. To find out who your representatives are, use this link: |
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Best regards,
Diane Wallis, M.D., FACC |
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