The American Heart Association (AHA) has officially joined the push for a new, independent American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced their plan to develop an “independent, self-governed entity” in September, saying it was “time to have a dedicated cardiovascular medicine board of our own.”
The AHA was working closely with those groups at the time, even helping them with their application to the American Board of Medical Specialties, but its members were still deciding how, exactly, the organization should proceed. Now, however, AHA has voted to provide its full support to this new proposal.
“We enthusiastically join with our colleagues in proposing a new professional certification body to accredit cardiovascular professionals called the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine,” Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, AHA’s volunteer president, said in a statement. “The new American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine will be independent of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and focus on the specific competency-based trainings and appropriate ongoing certifications that align with and strengthen skills for cardiovascular physicians and enhance quality of care for people with cardiovascular disease.”
Wu noted that the AHA and ACC have been working together for more than 40 years to develop updated clinical guidelines for cardiovascular care in the United States; this latest collaboration represents yet another example of how the two groups can work together to improve patient care for millions of U.S. heart patients.
If the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine can become a reality, the groups have said they will replace the ABIM’s current maintenance of certification system with an updated approach to physician certification that focuses more on “relevant” training and embracing “the increasing specialization in cardiology.” Leaders from this new board would include representatives from the AHA, ACC, HFSA, HRS and SCAI.
ACC President B. Hadley Wilson, MD, a practicing interventional cardiologist and executive vice chair at Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute/Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, spoke with Cardiovascular Business in September about what the four—now five—groups hope to achieve with the creation of this new, independent medical board.
“We believe we are going to make a much more streamlined, relevant process that will be easier and potentially less costly,” he said. “It will also be more transparent. Importantly, we’re here to help cardiologists learn, because this new plan will involve finding out what the knowledge gaps are for cardiologists as they move through their careers.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.