Spring 2016

Dear Members,

Springtime is a beautiful time of the year in our State of New York. It is always refreshing to be through the winter thaw and onto longer, more sunny days. I’ve said it before, but we are truly lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country.

As I enter my last six months as President of the NYACC, I am reflective as to the important issues we have been facing during this time. There have been many challenges to us, such as MOC, re-certification, life-long learning and now MACRA and Medicare Payment Reform. Both nationally and at a state level, I can tell you that the ACC has been working hard to make reasonable and rational recommendations in response to these issues we face.

As of this writing, April 27, CMS just released the changes to our reimbursement and what MACRA will mean to us. Both national ACC and the NYACC will communicate to you in the very near future our response.

In addition, our ACC-PAC has been a great resource and very helpful. Like it or not, we have to become part of the political process. If you haven’t spoken with local representatives and wish to, please do so. If you haven’t learned what the ACC-PAC does for our members, please take five minutes and browse their website.

We also have several upcoming events sponsored by the NYACC that I encourage you to check out. Visit our Events Page for details and to register. In particular, NYACC’s Annual Meeting and Scientific Session has been scheduled for Saturday, October 8, 2016, at the Eventi Hotel in NYC. We are doing something a little different this year. The night prior to the Session, also at the Eventi, we are hosting a cocktail hour and having drinks and hors d’oeuvres for all our NYACC member attendees. It should be a great time, I encourage you to consider clearing your calendar to attend.

Happy Spring!

Tim Malins, MD, FACC
Upstate Governor / President
New York State Chapter
American College of Cardiology
[email protected]


Members Approve New Councilors

In January, the Chapter voted in favor of its slate of Councilors, and this month, the new Councilors were confirmed.

Please join us in welcoming District 2 Councilor Jay J. Dubowsky, MD, FACC, of Manhasset; District 3 Councilor Benjamin Schaefer, MD, FACC, of Rhinebeck; District 5 Councilor Michael Sassower, MD, FACC, of Utica; District 6 Councilor Charles J. Lowenstein, MD, of Rochester; and District 7 Councilor Stanley Fernandez, MD, PhD, of Buffalo; and in congratulating District 2 Councilor Amgad N. Makaryus, MD, FACC, and District 4 Councilor Robert S. Phang, MD, FACC, on their re-elections.

In addition, the Chapter is very grateful for the service of outgoing Councilors Marc Baker, MD, PhD, FACC; Donna Denier, MD, FACC;Vijay Iyer, MBBS, FACC; Kevin McGrody, MD, FACC; and Joseph Tartaglia, MD, FACC.


ACC.16 Recap

From trial summaries to presentation slides, videos and news articles, get all of the hot clinical news from ACC.16 on ACC.org here.

Also, get perspectives from leaders on the ACC in Touch Blog and you can find wrap-up videos from each day of the annual scientific sessions and hot trial videos on YouTube. You can also view the ACC.16 videos from FITs on the GO, the roving reporters who also happen to be ACC Fellows-in-Training. All of the videos are archived here.

Check out “archived tweets” by searching for the official meeting hashtag, #ACC16, or scroll through our live coverage of the meeting via Twitter at @ACCCardioEd.

Read More: The Most Significant Trials from ACC.16

+ PARTNER 2a: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Compared with Surgery in Intermediate Risk Patients with Aortic Stenosis: Final Results from the Randomized Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves 2 Study

+ HOPE-3: Blood Pressure Lowering in People at Moderate Risk; Effects of Rosuvastatin on Cardiovascular Disease in Moderate Risk Primary Prevention in Diverse Ethnic Groups; and the Effects of Combined Lipid and BP-Lowering on Cardiovascular Disease in a Moderate Risk Global Primary Prevention Population

+ GAUSS-3: Comparison of PCSK9 Inhibitor Evolocumab Versus Ezetimibe in Statin-intolerant Patients: The Goal Achievement After Utilizing an Anti-PCSK9 Antibody in Statin Intolerant Subjects 3 Trial

+ FIRE & ICE: Largest Randomized Trial Demonstrates an Effective Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

+ STAMPEDE: Bariatric Surgery vs. Intensive Medical Therapy for Long-term Glycemic Control and Complications of Diabetes: Final 5-Year STAMPEDE Trial Resultsus.