Discussion Board

J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R I C A N C O L L E G E O F C A R D I O L O G Y V O L . 6 5 , N O . 4 , 2 0 1 5

ª 2 0 1 5 B Y T H E A M E R I C A N C O L L E G E O F C A R D I O L O G Y F O U N D A T I O N I S S N 0 7 3 5 - 1 0 9 7 / $ 3 6 . 0 0

P U B L I S H E D B Y E L S E V I E R I N C . h t t p : / / d x . d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 1 6 / j . j a c c . 2 0 1 4 . 1 2 . 0 0 5

LEADERSHIP PAGE

From the American College of

Innovation

Building the Best Possible Tools for the Best Possible Care

Shalom Jacobovitz, Chief Executive Officer, American College of Cardiology

A few weeks ago, the American College of Car- diology (ACC) launched its revamped web- site: ACC.org. Over the last year, a team

of College staff and member volunteers spent count- less hours interviewing members about their online needs; meeting with website developers about how to leverage best practices and new technologies in light of the many new online channels available; and, last but certainly not least, building the actual site with all of these things in mind.

The end result is a site that provides easier and more personalized access to clinical practice guide- lines, the latest published research, educational and practice management tools, and other trusted con- tent that the cardiovascular community has come to expect from the College. Given the explosive growth in the use of multiple mobile platforms to access in- formation, the new ACC.org and related tools, such as e-mail news digests, are also optimized for use across various mobile devices.

I am proud of the new site and all of the work from members and staff that went into making it a suc- cessful reality. Its launch is a huge step forward in positioning the College as an unbiased and reliable hub for the cardiovascular community to come to- gether to provide the best patient care. It also pro- vides a platform for us to be innovative and to showcase our advances, and it moves us toward our goal of reducing member burdens and increasing member value during a time of frequent and un- precedented change in health care.

According to Meg Wheatley, author and manage- ment consultant, “Innovation is fostered by infor- mation gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places;

Cardiology, Washington, DC.

from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries” (1). The process that went into the development and launch of the new ACC.org em- bodies this definition. We learned from past mistakes, gathered information from across our member and staff networks, looked beyond our own walls for in- dustry best practices, and developed a site that helps to meet the needs of members today, while also leaving some fluidity to meet the inevitable changing future digital landscape.

The insights and connections gained throughout the website development process are already being leveraged across other ACC projects, both big and small, aimed at ensuring the best possible tools for the best possible care. The College’s recently launched Guideline Clinical App is 1 example. As part of our efforts to modernize the guideline process and make guidelines more usable at the point of care, the mobile app provides easy access to guideline recom- mendations; “10 Points” summaries; and tools such as risk scores, calculators, and algorithms. The app can also be customized by using the bookmark, note- taking, and shareable PDF features. This is 1 of several cross-college efforts to better align mobile tools and educational resources with the release of clinical guidelines—a key element of our strategy to trans- form cardiovascular care.

The College is also thinking outside of the box in terms of how to best leverage its clinical data assets to inform research or measure the effect of new treat- ments, drugs, or devices. For example, 2 new PINNACLE registry studies recently provided unique and timely insights into the potential effects of the new ACC/American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines, as well as proposed changes to hyper- tension management (2,3). Similarly, the ACC and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons are blazing trails in the United States when it comes to understanding

J A C C V O L . 6 5 , N O . 4 , 2 0 1 5 Jacobovitz F E B R U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 5 : 3 9 6 – 7 Leadership Page

397

transcatheter aortic valve replacement. In addition, the College is looking at ways to use data to inform the development of clinical quality tools, such as risk calculators and shared decision-making resources that can be used at the point of care, whether at a physical location like a cardiovascular practice or a digital one online.

On an even greater scale, the ACC is excited about data aggregation opportunities with payers, health systems, international health organizations, and/or other partners that would allow for even greater un- derstanding of the effects of treatments on patient outcomes. Our relationship with Symphony Health Solutions, a provider of high-value data, analytics, and technology solutions for life science manufac- turers, payers, and providers, is a prime example of how an integrated health care database can support research aimed at advancing scientific understanding of cardiovascular care.

We are also exploring how the College, through its suite of hospital and outpatient data registries, can help members and patients take advantage of new technological capabilities like remote monitoring. For example, can we offer a way for patients to easily

track their medication, exercise, and/or vital signs like blood pressure that can then be easily down- loaded by their physician as part of a remote moni- toring session? Or, are there opportunities to work with industry to track and measure outcomes in pa- tients implanted with devices or sensors to manage their heart disease? All of these new ideas will also require working with payers around billing of ser- vices, as well as working with lawmakers and other stakeholders to incorporate new practices in the overall treatment paradigm.

Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer and founder of Amazon, once said that “every new thing creates two new questions and two new opportunities” (4). As we move ahead into the new year, my challenge to ACC leaders, staff, and members is to take these words to heart. We have created several new things—a new online home for the College being one of them—so let us ask and answer the new questions and hold tight to the new opportunities that come in their wake.

REPRINT REQUESTS AND CORRESPONDENCE:

Shalom Jacobovitz, American College of Cardiology, 2400 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20037.

R E F E R E N C E S

1. Wheatley MJ. Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order ina Chaotic World. 2ndedition.San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 1999.

2. Maddox TM, Borden WB, Tang F, et al. Impli- cations of the 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Guide- lines for Adults in Contemporary Cardiovascular

Practice: insights from the NCDR PINNACLE reg- istry. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014;64:2183–92.

3. Borden WB, Maddox TM, Tang F, et al. Impact of the 2014 Expert Panel Recommendations for Management of High Blood Pressure on Contem- porary Cardiovascular Practice: insights from the

NCDR PINNACLE registry. J Am Coll Cardiol 2014; 64:2196–203.

4. BrainyQuote.com. Jeff Bezos quotes. Available at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/ jeffbezos412272.html. Accessed December 1, 2014.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.