This post comes from ACC Secretary and Board of Governors (B0G) Chair John Gordon Harold, M.D., F.A.C.C. Dr. Harold is cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and has held a number of leadership posts within the College, including as a past president of the California Chapter and immediate past governor for Southern California. As BOG Chair, Dr. Harold will champion the 2009-2010 BOG priorities, in particular focusing on state advocacy.

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At any given moment, states and their lawmakers are thinking about, drafting, considering or even voting on legislation that will impact the way you practice medicine. As a practitioner, you may never hear about these initiatives – even though you could be directly affected.

This is where your local chapter comes in. ACC chapters work together with the ACC to pursue critical state legislative initiatives, such as maintaining access to office-based imaging, ensuring appropriate STEMI care, championing health advocacy and promoting public safety. The chapters and the ACC also work closely with the Board of Governors (BOG) Steering Committee and State Advocacy Work Group (formed by the BOG in 2008 with a mission to increase and improve state advocacy and outreach). This group maintains regular contact with Jim Boxall at the ACC, who is a virtual clearinghouse of information on legislative and regulatory issues and how-to tips for expanding Chapter state advocacy programs. 

Through these collaborations, the College is pursuing a multi-faceted policy and legislative agenda that reflects the diverse needs and interests of members. This agenda includes holding enhanced lobby days and “Cardiologist for a Day” programs, improving online advocacy tools, and increasing collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and other groups.

In addition, the College, through its State Advocacy Workgroup, is working closely with six chapters that have the staff and resources to be models for other states. Using ACC National Funding Proposals, these chapters -- Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Washington -- will build relationships with other medical groups and their respective state legislatures to influence policy.

California Chapter: An Example

In my chapter, the California Chapter (CA-ACC), we have a history of state legislative victories. This is because Chapter staff, in cooperation with ACC state advocacy staff, closely monitors all legislation and actively lobbies to defeat adverse legislation while supporting legislation to promote the quality of cardiovascular patient care.

In one particular example, Chapter leadership reached out to colleagues at the American College of Radiology through the California Radiologic Society (CRS).  The discussion revolved around a proposed Assembly bill that could potentially limit office-based cardiac imaging. When the bill came up, I recommended contact with CRS to see where we could find common ground, as the stated focus of the bill was eliminating "fraud and abuse." The inter-society discussions went well and both groups agreed to focus on mutually acknowledged areas. Both the CA-ACC and CRS lobbyists worked together and came to an agreement on bill language.

For other state chapter examples, visit the ACC Chapter Web site. 

Get Involved!

The ACC is only as strong as its members. You can help advocate for quality health care—and influence health care policy—at both the state and federal level in several ways: 

1. Get involved with your ACC Chapters by contacting the Chapter Executive in your state.
   
   
2. Get involved at with ACC’s grassroots efforts (www.acc.org/CAN) and help shape health care policy at the federal, state and local levels.
    
   
3. Support candidates who understand the importance of cardiovascular care by donating to the ACC Political Action Committee (PAC).
   
   
4. Attend the American College of Cardiology’s 2009 Legislative Conference taking place Sept. 13-15 in Washington, D.C. Take advantage of this opportunity to help educate Congress about the needs of cardiovascular professionals and patients.
   
   
5. Visit the Web site of ACC’s health care reform campaign, Quality First, and visit often! Here you can learn about how the ACC is working to transform health care from the inside out, as well as the latest Quality First news and events.

- By John Gordon Harold, M.D., F.A.C.C., Chair, ACC Board of Governors

* Dr. Harold's post is part of a monthly series of guest posts by ACC leadership. Check back next month to see which ACC leader is sharing his or her thoughts on health care reform! 

*** California State House. Image from Flickr (fusionpanda). ***