Renew Your ACC Membership for 2010 Today Back to Top 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. ACC Advocacy: Actions Needed to Save Your Patients and Your Practice   As you have heard by now, the ACC’s preliminary injunction and expedited discovery motions related to the Medicare 2010 Payment Rule were denied in Florida earlier this month. The ACC explained the suit was dismissed by the judge on jurisdictional grounds. Your ACC responses to the government’s request for dismissal and more can be found at www.campaignforpatientaccess.org/legal. Despite this disappointment, the ACC discovered useful information through this process and is continuing to fight on your behalf. What can you do now to save your patients and practice? Join the ACC’s Campaign for Patient Access at www.campaignforpatientaccess.org to: Contact your member of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 4371, Rep. Gonzalez's legislation, and protect their constituents, your patients, your practice, and your co-workers through their signature on the Bill. Have your patients contact their lawmakers and urge them to support H.R. 4371. Resources to help patients can be found at the Campaign’s website listed above. Tell your patients to send the ACC their story of how a cardiologist made the difference in their life and/or a life of a loved one. A direct link for story submissions can be found on the campaign’s website listed above. Share your story about how the CMS Payment cuts will affect your practice and your patients. Please e-mail all stories to ilacc@ilacc.org or send to 11 Salt Creek Lane, Hinsdale, IL, 60521. All stories will be sent to the ACC national office for use in this vital campaign. Donate to ACC's Political Action Committee (PAC). Your donation will help cover the costs of this campaign, including but not limited to legal fees, campaign management fees, etc. Your donation is not a charitable contribution, but may be tax-deductible as a business expense. Now, more than ever, Cardiology needs to make its voice heard! Don’t wait — act today! For more information and resources to help you, please visit the ACC’s Campaign for Patient Access at www.campaignforpatientaccess.org February is American Heart Month   America has recognized February as Heart Month since 1963. “A presidential proclamation pays tribute to the researchers, physicians, other public health education professionals as well as volunteers for their tireless effort in preventing, treating, and researching heart disease,” says the American Heart Association. Below are some of the local highlights and events to be aware of from the American Heart Association (AHA): February 5 is National Wear Red Day for the AHA’s Go Red For Women Movement. City Goes Red: Buildings, including the Willis Tower, the Wrigley Building, the Art Institute, 900 N. Michigan, the Smurfit-Stone Building, and Blue Cross Blue Shield will “go red” next month to support Heart Month. A Go Red for Women Luncheon will be held on February 26. For more event details, please visit www.goredforwomen.org. Chicagoland Jewel-Osco stores will hold in-store promotions. See your local participating store for more details. Macy’s Wear Red Day Sale and More: Macy’s is a national co-sponsor of Go Red For Women and will have a 20% off sale on most regular and sale price items for customers who are wearing red, Feb 3-7. For additional local information on Heart Month events, please visit www.americanheart.org/goredchicago or www.goredforwomen.org. Join Us at the 2010 ACC Scientific Symposium in Atlanta   Chapter Members: The Annual ACC Symposium is rapidly approaching. Please join us in Atlanta for this year’s ACC.10 and i2 Summit. Click here for more event information and registration details: http://acc10.acc.org/Pages/ACC2010Home.aspx Save the Date: IL-ACC FIT Poster Reception   Illinois ACC Chapter’s Annual Fellows-In-Training Poster Reception Meeting the Leaders of Tomorrow March 10, 2010 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Intercontinental Hotel Chicago 505 North Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL RSVP for this Event The Illinois chapter of the American College of Cardiology and co-sponsors cordially invite you to this year's Annual Fellows-In Training Poster Reception on March 10, 2010 at the Intercontinental Hotel, Chicago from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. All Fellows are welcome!  Poster presenters will have the opportunity to show their work to Illinois ACC chapter members and hone their presentation skills prior to the ACC national convention.  This year’s reception will feature a poster competition and the winner will receive the “2010 Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology Poster of the Year” Award and a $100 gift certificate. All attendees will enjoy networking with established F.A.C.C. cardiologists and other Fellows-In-Training from outside their respective program. This is an opportunity to see current research, network with future employers, and enjoy an evening with colleagues and friends. We look forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP to Scott Franzmeier by March 8, 2010. If you wish to present a poster, please contact Scott Franzmeier at scottf@ilacc.org or by phone at (651) 290-7493. IL-ACC Practice Management Symposium: May 14 Back to Top 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. Best regards, Jerome Hines, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.C. Governor, Illinois Chapter of the ACC