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This is the first of what I hope will be a monthly update for the members of the CCACC. I am aware that we all have significant time constraints and way too many emails; so I will try to keep it short, yet informative - with links to more detailed information if you want it.
Annual CCACC Meetings: For those who were unable to make our Annual Meeting on April 27th, we have posted a copy of Dr. Lewin's presentation, Dr. Neal Lippman's presentation, and will post a meeting synopsis on the website members section - remember that the password for the member section and the blog is: braunwald. It was a great reunion for many of us, and a great way to meet other members of the cardiology community here in Connecticut. And for me, it was the beginning of my term as President of the CCACC.
My New Term as President of the CCACC: Following Jonathan Alexander 1993-1996, Linda Gillam 1996-1999, John Elefteriades 1999-2002, Bernard Clark III 2002-2005, Mark Schoenfeld 2005-2008 and Neal Lippman 2008-2011- I have very big shoes to fill as the 7th President of the CCACC. I start my 3 year term with the practice of cardiology, and even of medicine as a whole, at a crossroads. I don't have to tell you how quickly and broadly our profession has been affected (some would say attacked) by the many changes in our healthcare system. So, it is more important than ever for the entire cardiology community get together and position ourselves to face these changes and affect the ones that are still in the pipeline. With these things in mind, I have set my sight on certain priorities that include fostering a better sense of community, proactive advocacy in Hartford & Washington and promoting our image to the public and in our state government. I will post a more detailed account of my aims on the CCACC blog
SustiNet: As you may be aware, the CCACC had to withdraw our prior support for this innovative insurance bill because a Connecticut Legislative Committee stripped an important malpractice protection clause that the CCACC supported. The original bill would have protected doctors if they followed guidelines- but the stripped-down version still insisted that the doctors followed the guidelines but they could not rely on protection if there was an adverse occurrence. Since our "Open Letter" to the Connecticut Legislature and Governor Malloy, we have gotten support from the press and even a patient rights group. Our lobbyists (see below) tell us that SustiNet is unlikely to progress during this session, but may be reintroduced in the future- we will keep you posted.
Lobbyists: In anticipation of some important issues arising in Hartford that may affect us in the next couple of years, the CCACC Council decided to hire a Lobbying firm with a lot of experience in representing the interests of various medical professions. They have already helped us with SustiNet and they keep us up-to-date with all the legislation that may potentially affect us.
Gil Lancaster, MD, FACC
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