Essentials of Advocacy: What Is Behind the Curtain?

Current ACC advocacy priorities are focused on: 1) creating a value-driven health care system; 2) ensuring access to care and cardiovascular practice stability; 3) promoting the use of clinical data to improve care; 4) fostering research and innovation in cardiovascular care; 5) preventing cardiovascular disease and improving heart health; and 6) engaging members to shape health policy. All year long, ACC members are inviting legislators into their practices to witness firsthand how the cardiovascular care team provides patients with high-quality, cost-effective care by employing state-of-the-art technology, health care data, and professional training. In Dr. Krishnan’s stead, an ACC Fellow-in-Training from the University of Washington, Jill Steiner, MD, participated in the Congressional briefing and spent her time on the floor educating lawmakers and their staff about the much greater risk of heart disease and early heart attacks before the age of 50 years among South Asians.