"The mission of the American College of Cardiology is to advocate for quality cardiovascular care . . ." Quality of care is central to the mission of the VCACC. Educational efforts all ultimately are meant to enhance the quality of care. And because we stand for high quality of care we gain the legitimacy that is required for effective advocacy. Quality of care efforts promote professionalism. Through education, tools, strategies and initiatives, we can help our members achieve a high level of professionalism, and prepare for the future. Virginia Heart Attack Coalition CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE ON PROGRESS AS OF 12/2009 IThe VCACC has joined with other stakeholders to form the “Virginia Heart Attack Coalition” or VHAC. Peter O'Brien, MD, FACC, from Lynchburg and Michael Kontos, MD, FACC, from MCV, are taking the lead for the VCACC, along with David Burt, MD, an EM physician from UVA and Keltcie Delamar from the American Heart Association.    This initiative hopes to speed transfer times and overall times to reperfusion for all STEMI patients. This broad-based statewide coalition is comprised the American Heart Association (and its Mission: Lifeline initiative), the EMS community, the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and many other organizations that are committed to enhancing the care of heart attack patients. For many Virginians, optimal treatment depends on when and where they have their heart attack. VHAC is a voluntary organization that will foster cooperation and coordination with the goal of improving STEMI care all across the Commonwealth. This initiative will allow participants to share ideas, coordinate regional care, collect outcomes data, and access education, funding and other resources. REGISTRY PILOT CLOSES IN VIRGINIA AND OPENS NATION WIDE After two years of mounting success with the IC3 Program® pilot, one of the largest practice-level scientific efforts ever undertaken in the United States, the ACC’s NCDR® is pleased to announce that the IC3 Program is now the PINNACLE Registry™. The PINNACLE Registry will continue to build on the success of the IC3 Program and use the NCDR to give practices negotiating power in today’s rapidly shifting business environment. The IC3 Program was designed exclusively for the practice setting to give clinicians a powerful means for thriving in today’s quality-conscious, performance-based reimbursement environment. The ACC spent two years developing the IC3 Program, in order to ensure that all elements of the program are successful and are providing our participants with easy-to-interpret and credible reports. Today, there are more than 180 practices participating, representing nearly 700 practice locations, thousands of physicians, and more than 300,000 patient records. As the pilot phase comes to a close, the IC3 Program is now elevated to the status of an NCDR registry. Under its new name, the PINNACLE Registry, it will join the fellow registries that make the NCDR the preeminent cardiovascular data repository in the United States. The NCDR’s suite of registries collects patient risk factors, procedures, devices and clinical outcomes, and provides evidence-based quality improvement solutions for cardiologists and other medical professionals. With more than 10 million patient records, NCDR’s decade-long commitment to quality improvement, clinical excellence and improved patient outcomes uniquely positions NCDR to help participating facilities and medical professionals. The PINNACLE Registry, as part of the NCDR suite of clinical registries, will continue to build on this solid reputation and provide the quality measurement solutions practices need to survive and thrive in today’s competitive health care marketplace. The PINNACLE Registry will provide a centralized system for clinical practices to promote practice innovations and achieve clinical excellence. Participating in the registry is FREE and offers many advantages, including: Easy-to-interpret quarterly benchmark reports that validate the quality care that practices provide and pinpoint opportunities for improvement Access to relevant data focusing on coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure and atrial fibrillation—the four most common cardiovascular conditions Minimal data collection that delivers maximum clinical value Multiple methods of data submission that fit seamlessly into any practice’s workflow When so much of private practice success depends on data—payments, professional reputation, negotiating strength, and, of course, the health of the patients—a practice can’t entrust its data to just anyone.