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Dear Colleagues,
Act Now to Protect Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) needs you and your patients to call your representatives in Washington, DC, to continue to fight The Final Physician Fee Schedule that will devastate cardiology practices in its current form.
Although there is a phase-in for certain cuts over four years, the 2010 cuts alone will force many practices to lay off staff, close outlying services and otherwise reduce services. The resulting access issues will force cardiac patients to hospital settings for diagnostic tests, increasing both patients’ out-of-pocket costs and Medicare’s overall costs. We ask all ACC members to contact their congressional delegation and ask them to support cardiac patients. ACC needs the help of all cardiovascular specialists and their patients now in this final effort.
Please use the following resources to contact your lawmakers and ask them to support bill H.R. 4371 and join the other 55 co-sponsors by January 1, 2010 today.
- The Campaign for Patient Access website provides easy access to lawmakers via email. This includes sample letters, talking points, and readily available materials for you and your patients to use.
- The ACC’s easy-to-use, toll-free grassroots hotline, (800) 210-7193, will put you in direct contact with your Representative’s and/or Senator’s office.
- Members can write their legislators by going to the Campaign for Patient Access website or to the CardioAdvocacy Network website.
- Ask your patients to get involved. Patient letters can be sent to Congress, using information on the ACC.org/can or the Guiding Hearts Alliance websites below:
- Additional background, facts, and information to help you, your patients, and your practice act today can be found on the ACC CardioAdvocacy Network (ACC | CAN) website and the Guarding Heart Alliance website.
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| Mark Your Calendars Today for Illinois ACC Chapter’s 2010 Events! |
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2010 Practice Management Symposium
Optimizing Patient Care in a Changing Health Care Environment
May 14, 2010
University Club of Chicago
76 E Monroe St
Chicago, IL 60603
Mark your calendars now to join cardiovascular professionals from across Illinois at the IL-ACC Practice Managment Symposium on May 14, 2010.
IL-ACC Chapter’s Annual Scientific Reception
March 10, 2010
Intercontinental Hotel Chicago
505 North Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL, 60611
This annual tradition is for all members of the Illinois ACC Chapter. This year will again feature a poster competition comprised of presentations by local Fellows-In-Training. The winner of the competition will be awarded the 2010 Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology Poster of the Year Award. We hope to see you there for an evening of education, networking, and enjoyment with your colleagues.
The IL-ACC Chapter looks forward to seeing you at both events in 2010 |
| Renew Your ACC Membership for 2010 Today |
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If you have not paid your 2010 ACC dues, The IL-ACC Board of Councilors encourages you to renew today to maintain your valuable ACC and IL-ACC Chapter benefits. These benefits include:
- Member rates for ACC's upcoming Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as other vital ACC and IL-ACC educational programs
- Access and discounts to ACC products are all dependent upon a current membership status
- Uninterrupted receipt of JACC
- Access to Cardiosource
- Local and regional chapter activities that are designed to benefit you directly
- Important national and statewide advocacy alerts that enable you to act quickly in order to protect the cardiovascular profession
This is a critical time for cardiology in the changing healthcare environment and your identification with the ACC and IL-ACC has never been more important. The ACC is your professional advocate and works hard to represent your needs with lawmakers.
The specialized information and resources about advocacy, education, and recent scientific advances are available through ACC and the Chapter. The ACC and the Illinois ACC Chapter’s efforts all rest on your annual dues payment.
To pay your 2010 ACC dues, please go to www.acc.org/dues for the secure online dues payment page.
To pay your dues over the phone please contact the ACC Resource Center toll-free at (800) 253-4636, ext. 5603 or directly at (202) 375-6000. To contact the Resource Center via email, please send a message to resource@acc.org.
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Best regards,
Jerome Hines, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C.
Governor, Illinois Chapter of the ACC |
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