HRS President's Vision for 2017-2018 | Heart Rhythm Society

HRS President's Vision for 2017-2018

A key to organizational success is teamwork. That may sound simple, but as HRS continues to grow and as we become increasingly more global, it’s important for us eliminate silos wherever we find them. As your new president, I would like to see HRS be even more collaborative. We all know that it takes a team to deliver personalized care to our patients and we work together all the time, both directly or indirectly, to treat patients and their families.

HRS Leadership Series: Message from HRS President from Heart Rhythm Society on Vimeo.

As a pediatric electrophysiologist serving as president of HRS, I want to make sure every element of the care team is represented and has a voice in our Society. We have lots to learn from each other, to not only advance our professional development and patient care but also the Society overall.

It is with your help and expertise that we will drive our mission forward, to end death and suffering due to heart rhythm disorders. As we look at the year ahead, the following activities will be priorities and I ask each of you to join me in this journey.

Foster the Development of Communities and Discover Your Role

Through collaboration in research, technical innovation, and best practices, we can improve patient care by reaching beyond our specific specialties and learning from our colleagues. One of the many benefits of membership in HRS is the ability to tap into our extensive network of experts from around the globe.

I encourage you to join a Community. If you’re not familiar with our communities, involvement is open to all members and is an opportunity to regularly engage, network, and share knowledge with colleagues. From Allied Professionals to Early Career to Women in EP, there are now many communities to consider. By joining a community, you have the chance to expand your professional expertise and visibility within HRS, implement mission-driven activities, and provide feedback and suggestions.

HRS provides resources to support the Communities of Practice that include:

  • Networking capabilities: phone and in-person meetings, webinars, events, and more.
  • Collaboration tools: discussion boards, group emails, library/resource repository, community calendars, member directory, and more.

Not only do I encourage you to join a community, but I also charge you to think about forming a new one that reflects your own particular passion that you share with others in HRS.

For more information about joining a Community of Practice, visit our website.

Navigate the Ever-Changing Healthcare Landscape

Over the next year, it is my goal to ensure that the EP community is well represented when it comes to all health policy initiatives. First and foremost, we will always advocate for evidence-based, guidelines-driven, quality health care, and fair reimbursement to healthcare providers.

The Health Policy team is currently working on several ongoing initiatives and we will address new issues as they come up. For example, in the next six months, we will continue to partner with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to equip heart rhythm professionals with the tools they need to better communicate with patients about concerns they may have about cybersecurity. In addition, we are strongly advocating for an update to the Medicare ICDCoverage Policy, including the recommendation that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reevaluate the requirement for data reporting as a condition of coverage. We will continue to work with ABIM on certification reform, provide resources to help navigate MACRA, and will conduct an environmental scan of the current availability of performance measures of heart rhythm care for purposes of quality improvement and public reporting.

As always, we will keep you updated on all health policy news, updates, and events.

Partner Internationally and Strategically

Recently, I travelled to Beijing to attend the scientific sessions of one of the heart rhythm societies in China, where I made many new friends. I had to opportunity to meet some leading experts in China, and saw firsthand the innovation that is happening in that region of the world. We’re in a time when international scientific collaboration is more important than ever, and HRS will seek every opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices on a global scale.

In addition to looking for new ways to work with international heart rhythm organizations, we will continue to deepen our current relationships with our partner cardiology organizations in the U.S. Both kinds of partnership together allow us to develop guidelines that are powerful and authoritative and, ultimately, will define the best clinical care across borders. After all, electrophysiology is electrophysiology, wherever you happen to practice.

I hope we can work together, learn from each other, and look for new opportunities that will guide our efforts to achieve our mission.

Sincerely,

George F. Van Hare, MD, FHRS, CCDS, CEPS-PC
President
Heart Rhythm Society