January 25, 2017
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2016 Annual Meeting Sets New Standard for Excellence
The Ritz Carlton at Lake Oconee was filled to capacity for our Chapter’s Annual Meeting, held November 18-20. Over 400 people, including 140 cardiologists and 52 exhibitors, packed into the beautiful resort on yet another spectacular weekend. For the past few years, our chapter has contracted the entire facility for our meeting yet still faced challenges finding room and meeting space for everyone that wanted to attend.
Following are a few of the highlights of the weekend:
- Over 40 of the specialty’s scientific leaders addressed cutting edge topics, beginning Friday at 2pm and ending Sunday at noon.
- ACC President Dr. Rick Chazal and Chapter President Dr. Charlie Brown presented updates on the issues facing the specialty.
- Dr. Ken Dooley was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Dr. Donald Page was recognized for three years distinguished service as Chapter President and ACC Governor.
- Dr. Jason Reingold was presented the President’s Award for exemplary service as the Chapter’s representative on the Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC).
- Dr. Salim Hayek, Emory, won the top award among eight FIT poster presentations.
- For the third year, an outstanding track of CV surgery sessions was featured with rooms filled to capacity.
- The Joe Gransden Orchestra presented a powerful celebration of Frank Sinatra’s centennial birthday on Saturday night.
- Special thanks to our premier sponsors, Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Abbot Vascular, to Silver Sponsor Zoll Pharmaceutical and Bronze sponsors Arbor Pharmaceuticals and Piedmont Healthcare.
View slideshow of the weekend here
Join and Contribute to ACCPAC
Message from the ACC President:
Dear Georgia ACC Members,
Amid the noise and disruption of this extraordinarily bizarre Presidential election, there lurks in the background the implementation of MACRA. Our patients and our profession need your help and your involvement.
For over a decade, the ACC and our political action committee, ACCPAC, were instrumental in successfully advocating for repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR), the flawed formula by which clinicians were paid by Medicare.
Our need for action has not ended with the repeal of the SGR. Its replacement, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), begins to take effect in January, 2017 and will overhaul how we practice and how we are paid. It is imperative that we work closely with Congress to exercise strong oversight as this extremely complex new law is implemented.
While ACC supports MACRA in principal, the devil is in the details, and the details are in flux.
In order to have our voice heard by those congressional leaders who have oversight of this law, we need strong grassroots support powered by contributions to ACCPAC.
Without a strong voice and a well-funded ACCPAC, we surrender control of our patient care, our quality matrices, and our profession to those who do not have our best interests and those of our patients in mind.
What does this mean?
Your contributions in the past have helped Georgia’s cardiovascular voice be heard and advanced the effectiveness of ACC’s advocacy efforts. This year, our state is at the low end of contributors to ACCPAC – and we cannot afford to fall behind.
Help ensure that ACC has the resources to shape our future effectively.
Please click here to join us and contribute to ACCPAC.
Thank you,
Charles Brown, III, MD, FACC
President/Governor