RESOURCE TOOLKIT

The ACC and its partners in the cardiology community are prepared to help you and your practice navigate these challenging times, while also pulling out all the stops to stop the practice expense cuts and find real solutions to payment. The following resources are available to you now. Your feedback on the tools and resources you'd like to see in the coming months is also appreciated. Please email advocate@acc.org with your thoughts.

Revisions to Consultation Services Payment Policy

Practice Management Toolkit: This newly updated site contains information designed to help you best manage your practice. While continually being updated, you'll find information on practice solutions, health IT, coding and billing, working with health plans, quality and educational tools, and more.

Medicare Provider Enrollment Website: This CMS site provides you information about Medicare enrollment. The ACC will provide information to members on options in future communications.

ACC CardioAdvocacy Network/ACC Political Action Committee: The ACC's CardioAdvocacy Network (CAN) keeps you up to date on ACC's grassroots efforts and ways you can get involved. Currently the site contains links to a sample congressional letter regarding the final rule. The ACC Political Action Committee (PAC) is another way to ensure the cardiovascular voice is heard on Capitol Hill. There's no better time to get involved with either or both of these key advocacy programs.

Patients First: Quality Care Resources

CardioSmart is a patient education site of the American College of Cardiology. The site engages, informs, and empowers patients. Learn more at www.cardiosmart.org.

National guidelines developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) state that hospitals treating STEMI patients with emergency PCI should reliably achieve a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less. The Indiana-ACC rolled out the campaign to ensure that hospitals in our state would consistently reach this goal. Learn more at www.d2balliance.org.

ACC provides a framework of evidence-based clinical statements and guidelines developed by leaders in the field of cardiovascular medicine. LA-ACC members are constantly updates as new trials impact how to use techniques and new drugs are unveiled. Learn more at www.acc.org.

More than 2,200 hospitals nationwide participate in the ACC National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR). As the United States preeminent cardiovascular data repository, the NCDR provides evidence based quality improvement solutions for cardiologists and other medical professionals who are committed to measurement, improvement, and excellence in cardiovascular care. As a trusted, patient-centered resource, the NCDR has developed clinical modules, programs, and information solutions that support the areas of cardiovascular care where quality can be measured, benchmarked, and improved to make a difference in patients lives. Learn more at www.ncdr.com

The Hospital to Home (H2H) goal is to reduce all-cause hospital readmission rates among patients discharged with heart failure or acute myocardial infarction by 20 percent by December 2012. Learn more www.h2hquality.org.