Thanks to all who joined us for an Important Cardiology Update Meeting Sunday, August 2, 2009 We had 16 members in addition to Jane Schauer, the NM-ACC former Chapter President and myself present to meet with ACC Leaders to get updates on Legislative efforts, Quality Initiatives and Educational issues & hear guest speaker, Story Musgrave, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya. We heard from Dr. Alfred Bove, MD, PhD, the current ACC President about ACC's Quality First Network Campaign, designed to consolidate quality and outcomes efforts into a patient centered, value based program for cardiologists. You will hear more about this program in the months ahead and especially at the ACC.10 meeting in March 2010 in Atlanta. Jack Lewin, MD, ACC CEO, who has worked tirelessly for ACC members in meeting with Hill and White House officials, as well as with other speciality organizations, spoke to us about how the CMS physician payment cuts came about, the flawed data they are based on, and what we need to do to reverse them. (Basically, contact your representatives in Congress! Be a squeaky wheel!) The ACC Incoming President, Ralph Brindis, spoke to us about the initiatives to improve quality of care ACC is working on, such as the IC3 Program and the Hospital to Home program. Quality improvement is the root of all our efforts. Many of our members are going through Maintenance of Certification and John Gordon Harold, MD, Chair of the ACC Board of Governors, was on hand to explain the MOC requirements, how best to meet the criteria and what changes in these requirements may lie ahead. Jane Schauer, MD, PhD, FACC, who is the Immediate Past New Mexico Chapter President as well as the Past Chair of the Board of Governors and now sits on the ACC Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, reminded those present that, like it or not, Political Action Committee funds open doors on Capitol Hill. Money doesn't "buy you votes", but it gives you access to the decision makers to explain your message. Organizations who espouse a message totally oppose ours have reported at least $1 million more in their PAC funds. To date only five of our 100 ACC members in New Mexico have donated to the ACC PAC. Do the math. Then donate at www.accpacweb.org . For our final speaker, we were very privileged to have with us Story Musgrave, one of NASA's most experienced astronauts. With a 30 year career spanning the Apollo era of the 1960s right through to the Space Shuttle program of the 1990s, Story is the only astronaut to have flown on all five Space Shuttles. In addition, he is a pilot, neurosurgeon, mechanic,poet and philosopher and holds six advanced degrees, despite dropping out of high school. His unusual journey from a farm in the 1930s to outerspace, along with his photographs, some taken from space, were incredible and inspiring. Thank you to all who joined us. We hope the rest of you will join us at our next meeting.