IL-ACC Wins the Chapter Recognition Award Back to Top I’m pleased to announce that our Illinois Chapter was recognized by the ACC in 2008 “For its accomplishments in advancing the College mission through its enhancement of member value, education, advocacy and quality of patient care.” The Chapter was required to demonstrate proficiency and compliance in a number of areas to achieve this award. Don’t Wait…Renew Your Dues Today! Back to Top This newsletter is a valuable benefit for Illinois Chapter members. To continue receiving this newsletter and other notifications from the IL-ACC please renew your membership dues for 2009 today. I also encourage your renewal so you can maintain your valuable ACC and IL-ACC Chapter benefits. These benefits include: member rates for ACC's upcoming Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, educational programs and products, uninterrupted receipt of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, access to Cardiosource CV news, national and local advocacy efforts, professional development, and many chapter activities designed to directly benefit you.  This is a critical time for cardiology and your identification as an FACC denotes the highest achievement in cardiovascular medicine.  Your association with the ACC and these outstanding benefits all rest on your annual dues payment. To pay your 2009 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. Annual Practice Management Symposium Now Offering CME/CE Credits Back to Top Mark your calendars NOW to join cardiovascular professionals from across Illinois at the IL-ACC Practice Management Symposium: "Electronic Health Records — Winners and Losers" on May 8, 2009.  The ACCF designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Topics will include: Learning experiences: what not to do EHR adoption E-prescribing EHR workflow and staffing issues EHR hospital experiences And much more The event will also feature case studies surrounding EHR in large, medium and small practices. Many exhibitors will be in attendance at the vendor fair during the program. Finally, come look at cardiology in 2010, where we will discuss the fallout from MIPPA and the presidential election. Please continue to look for more announcements as we approach May 8. The IL-ACC looks forward to seeing you there! Accreditation Physicians This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. The American College of Cardiology Foundation is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The ACCF designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should only claim credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.   Nurses American College of Cardiology Foundation is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. ACC Leadership Forum Back to Top Governor-Elect Dr. Jerome Hines and chapter executive Andy Shelp traveled to Washington D.C. for the Annual ACC Leadership Conference on January 30-31. This two-day conference provided breakout sessions focused on leadership development, discussions on today's medical environment threats and opportunities and roundtables designed for networking with other chapters and ACC staff to assist with chapter goals. We also were presented information by keynote speaker J. P. Pawliw-Fry, Ph.D., from the Institute of Health and Human Potential discussing the importance and impact of emotional intelligence in leadership today.  ACC President-elect Dr. Alfred Bove introduced the ACC's “Year of The Patient” at a keynote dinner. During this dinner, the Illinois Chapter was recognized with the 2008 Chapter Award.  This is the chapter's first award and I would like to personally thank the Illinois ACC Board of Councilors, Chapter members, and staff for all their hard work and participation in 2008.   Your support and active participation is essential for the chapter's growth and development in 2009. We look forward to seeing you at future IL-ACC events and activities. Please Join Us for a CCA meeting Back to Top Tueday, March 10, 2009 6:30 p.m. The Reel Club, Oak Brook There will be a short presentation on hypertension by Dr. Jong-Yoon Yi, Heartland Cardiovascular Center followed by a business meeting. It is the intent of the Il-ACC Chapter to find a new CCA Liaison, as Julie Benson will resign her current position at the end of her term. If you are interested in hearing more about this please contact Julie Benson, or bring your nominations to the meeting. Please RSVP to Julie if you plan on attending. Hope to see you there!   This meeting will be sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. IL-ACC and American Heart Association: Mission Lifeline Event on the Evening of May 29 Back to Top In Illinois, the Mission: Lifeline Stakeholders Task Force is working in its second year to develop STEMI systems of care.  Our first year focused on coming to consensus on our vision, mission, and action plans.  Now in year two, good things are developing as a result of our decision to form subcommittees to deal with specific issues. Since the ACC conference will be in Chicago this May, our group has elected to host a dinner event for one evening at the ACC conference at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. Stay tuned for more information on the May 29 event! IL-ACC Health Reform Summit Back to Top The ACC leaders and members held a successful health system reform summit this month in Washington, DC. This “summit brought together more than 100 health care professionals and individuals with a passionate interest in reforming the current healthcare systems of care for two days of discussion on the roles and responsibilities of health care providers in health system reform” (Cardiology, March 2008).  Presenters included Uwe Reinhardt, Ph.D., of Princeton University, Gerry Shea of the AFL-CIO, Carolyn Clancy, M.D., of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, ACC president James T. Dove, M.D., F.A.C.C., and more. Dr. Dove presented the ACC  Blue Ribbon Panel’s draft “Executive Summary,” outlining key principles for health system reform.  To learn more about this summit and more, go to www.cardiosource.com/cvn. Cardiac Care Associate Board Representative: Thank You Julie Benson Back to Top I would like to recognize and thank Julie Benson for her outstanding service as the inaugural Cardiac Care Associate (CCA) Representative to the IL-ACC Board of Councilors.  She proudly and effectively represented the CCA's voice within the leadership of the chapter. During her term, she organized and executed The Illinois Chapter’s first-ever CCA symposium.  This event was a tremendous success and we are looking forward to the second annual symposium in the fall.  Julie will be stepping down from her position as representative to the Board of Councilors in March as her term ends. If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please contact the Illinois ACC chapter office at 847-391-9777 or ilacc@ilacc.org for more details.  Stay tuned for more details on the Illinois ACC Board of Councilor’s nomination process. Best regards, Diane Wallis, M.D., FACC Governor, Illinois Chapter of the ACC