President's Message

September 2020

Dear PaACC Members:

As my wife likes to say, "Many hands make light work". I am a firm believer that this motto perfectly applies to the PaACC as we are so blessed to have a wonderful team/network throughout our great Commonwealth. 

Over the past several months, through teamwork exemplified by the members of our organization, we have many accomplishments to feel good about:

• PA HB 2103 - legislation to amend the flawed Act 112 (Patient Test Result Information Act) has passed out of committee and is up for a floor vote in PA House within the next week or so. Fingers crossed. PaACC will continue this important battle.
• PaACC played a primary role (in conjunction with our coalition partners) in recent negotiations with key Harrisburg legislators to help advance Prior Authorization legislation to try to reform this onerous process. This continues to be one of our two main priorities.
• As part of a recently enacted law to inform high school students of the risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) and the possible benefit of a screening EKG, our input made the needed change that students and parents must sign an "informed consent" document prior to testing. We worked to educate stakeholders as they created the document. The new law also requires that high school coaches complete an annual training course. PaACC is looking into further strategies, such as more CPR education and more AEDs, to try to combat SCD.
• We organized an effective PaACC Health Affairs Committee (PHAC) as a collection of strategic, diversified PaACC members who have helped optimize PaACC Advocacy.
• PaACC has worked to attract a significant number of younger, talented physicians and continues to build an organization that encompasses cardiologists from all generations, working together for the betterment of cardiologists/providers/staff/patients across the state - PaACC's future is bright!!
• Our Western Governor - and our next state president as of October 1st - Katie Berlacher, MD, FACC, has shown great leadership by creating the ground-breaking “She Looks like a Cardiologist” program to inspire female high school students, and more recently has been moderating national ACC virtual educational programs. 
• We have had successful FIT, WIC, CVT, and ECP programs. Well-done, everyone!
• • We anticipate a great "Welcome to the PaACC" program for FITs this Wednesday September 23. All FITs welcome. Sign up HERE.
• PaACC has developed a new PaACC Membership Value Committee to explore the age-old question "What have you done for me lately?" We appreciate former Governor Vince Figueredo, MD, FACC, serving as the chair and look forward to new ideas for programming.
• With the help of former Governors Vic Ferrari, MD, FACC, and Paul Casale, MD, FACC, we are nurturing our relationship with the cardiology societies of Italy (our ACC "partner"). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were designing an FIT exchange with Italy and hope to revisit this idea someday. We are currently working on a possible virtual educational program in conjunction with our Italian colleagues that would/will be great! Stay tuned.
• We are advancing our "Humans of Cardiology" essay series - a wonderful way to help us all share in the personal side of how our job impacts our lives...
• We successfully hired a wonderful Chapter Executive (Jennifer Ray Beckman) and a fantastic Pennsylvania state lobbyist (Andy Goodman). Both have already proven that our Search Committee made great choices!
• PaACC has partnered with former PaACC Governor Dan Edmundowicz, MD, FACC, to create a memorial lecture to honor Past ACC President (and former PA Governor) Fred Bove, MD, FACC

...and so much more...

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, September 23 - FIT "Welcome to PaACC: - see above and please join us.

October 5-6: ACC Legislative Conference. This is the BEST way to both learn about, and participate in, ACC Advocacy. Learn about advocacy and strategies on the evening of October 5, then join in virtual meetings with DC legislators & staff during the day October 6.

The time to sign up is RIGHT NOW - registration literally closes tomorrow! Sign up for the ACC Legislative Conference HERE.

Of note, there is also an optional, intriguing HeartPAC event on the evening of October 4. More information is HERE.

Jeopardy Saturdays FIT Jeopardy is back! Final details are being worked out in conjunction with ACC national. Stay tuned!

Finally, it has been a true honor and blessing to have served for the past 18 months as PaACC president - thank you all so much for allowing me the privilege to represent our organization in the role of advocate not only for patients, but for our own livelihood. I have learned a lot along the way and have enjoyed every minute of it. Many thanks to the wonderful role models in whose footsteps I have had the honor of following; I can only hope I served you well. I look forward to 18 more months as the Eastern Governor and as part of the leadership, and am excited to continue working with our new President, Dr. Katie Berlacher, who now takes the baton.

Thank you again; it’s been my pleasure.

Andy

Andrew R. Waxler, MD, FACC

President, PaACC

Governor, ACC, representing eastern PA

July 2020 - Kinan Kassar, MD 

Saturday Morning Zooms: The Distancing That Brought Us Together

"Welcome to the meeting!" I woke up to this early morning announcement as I logged in to my first Zoom meeting with my cardiology co-fellows. What a huge surge of unpleasant feelings I felt that morning as our program director announced the new measures we would be taking as a training program during the COVID-19 pandemic. To read the rest, click here.

Humans of Cardiology is an opportunity for PaACC members to share motivating stories about their personal and professional lives and was inspired by the wildly popular Humans of New York series. Submit your story and view past posts here.