In This Issue:
 Smoke-free Legislation is Up To Lame-Ducks
Mission: Lifeline Underway in Michigan
CVD in Michigan: The Facts
Anniversary Conference in the Record Book
Take Action Today!
Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium Set
Chapter is Resource for Payers
Smoke-free Legislation is Up To Lame-Ducks
Contact your legislator today!
Now that the election season is over, lawmakers are back in Lansing for a short "lame-duck" session. During this period, they have the opportunity to pass the smoke-free workplace legislation that has been on the drawing board for so long.
The House took the first step, passing a bill that contained exemptions for casinos, bingo halls and cigar bars (HB4163). Then the Senate passed a substitute bill that had no exemptions (still HB 4163). The House, reluctant to include casinos in the ban, passed a new bill (HB5074) with several exemptions.
The Chapter supports comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation. The optimum scenario would be for the House to concur with HB4163. Unfortunately, if smoke-free legislation is not passed in the lame-duck session, we will start from 'square one' with the new legislative session in January. Given this state of affairs, our message to legislators is: Please work with your colleagues in both chambers to pass the most comprehensive smoke-free legislation possible before the end of this session.
A vote may occur as early as Wednesday, Dec. 3, so it is imperative that Chapter members from all parts of Michigan contact their legislators quickly. Even if you have previously called or emailed your legislator, please make another contact today. See Take Action Today! at right.
Mission: Lifeline Underway in Michigan
Mission: Lifeline is the American Heart Association’s (AHA) national initiative to improve systems of care for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The Chapter and AHA have “teamed up” to launch Mission: Lifeline in Michigan.
Co-chaired by Eric Bates, MD and Stuart Winston, DO, the Mission: Lifeline project will unite physicians, nurses, patients, EMS, STEMI referral hospitals, STEMI receiving hospitals, policymakers, third-party payers, and quality improvement organizations to optimize STEMI patients’ continuum of care, beginning with their entry into the system (from symptom onset) through each component of the system and return to the local community and physician for rehabilitative care.
“Last year Michigan hospitals wholeheartedly embraced the D2B initiative and dramatically improved their door to balloon times. Now we can save even more lives by improving symptom to balloon times with Mission: Lifeline’s multidisciplinary, patient centered approach,” said Dr. Winston.
If you interested in getting involved on the ground floor of Mission: Lifeline, contact Sarah Poole, AHA Director of State Health Alliances for Michigan,
616-482-1508/sarah.poole@heart.org.
CVD in Michigan: The Facts
The newly released publication Impact of Heart Disease and Stroke in Michigan: 2008 Report on Surveillance, is an in-depth analysis of the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It provides a comprehensive report on CVD, heart disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, risk factors associated with CVD and some of the resources/facilities of interest in reducing and controlling CVD in Michigan. This document will be the foundation of a new strategic plan to identify priorities for public health interventions that will reduce heart disease and stroke and its risk factors in Michigan.
The Chapter is a member of the Michigan Cardiovascular Alliance that produced the document in concert with the Michigan Department of Community Health Chronic Disease Epidemiology Section and Cardiovascular Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity Section. Chapter members who are interested in working on the strategic plan should contact Alice Betz at 517-663-6622/alice@accmi.org.
The complete report and a slide set summarizing the report can be found at www.michigan.gov. An Executive Summary is on page iv of the report.
Anniversary Conference in the Record Book
New Venue for 2009
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| | Past-president Wolf Duvernoy, MD (center) and past-conference chairs Fareed Khaja, MD (left) and Claire Duvernoy, MD (right) enjoy the anniversary poster.
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The Chapter celebrated its 20th Anniversary Conference in September with a record number of conferees. Cardiologists from all areas of interest, fellows-in-training, and Cardiac Care Associates gathered to network, learn, and reminisce. A poster detailing the twenty year history of the conference was a popular exhibit.
True to tradition, the Michigan Cardiology Fellows Society case and poster competitions drew great interest. Nitesh Gadeela, MD and Tejwant Singh, MD took first and second prizes in the Poster Competition. James Sur, MD was the winner of the Oral Case Competition where Dan Buerkel, MD and Manreet Kanwar, MD tied for second.
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| | Poster judges (left to right) Souheil Saba, MD, Brahmajee Nallamothu, MD and Simon Dixon, MBChB carefully consider one of the nineteen posters presented at the conference.
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New “pre-conference” sessions on PAD, Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology proved popular. Plans are underway to expand these “special interest” sessions for 2009 when the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids will provide an exciting new venue for the conference.
Save the Date!
21st Annual Michigan Chapter Conference
October 16-18, 2009
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Grand Rapids
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Time is of the essence.
Here are two quick, easy ways to take action to help Michigan workplaces become smoke-free...
1. Send a message to your Representative and Senator with just a few clicks. You’ll find a sample message to send “as is” or to edit as you wish.
and/or
2. Call Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (517-373-2417) and Speaker of the House Andy Dillon (517-373-0857). Ask them to pass a strong, comprehensive smoke-free bill before the end of the year.
10th Annual
Cardiovascular
Nursing Symposium
Monday, March 2, 2009
Washtenaw Community College
Featuring
Beth Hammer, MSN, ACNP-BC
President-elect, AACN
Watch your mail after the first of the year for program details!
The Chapter is frequently asked to provide input on payer policy and guidelines. The Quality Committee and the Subspecialty Councilors with support from their respective Standby Panels are tapped to respond to these requests.
In recent months the Chapter has submitted a statement to Blue Care Network on genetic testing for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and provided comments on updates to the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) guidelines for Office Based Procedures Requiring Anesthesia and Management of Adults with Chronic Heart Failure.
The documents are available upon request. Contact alice@accmi.org.
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