George P. Rodgers

ACC/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on Electrocardiography and Ambulatory Electrocardiography A Report of the ACC/AHA/ACP–ASIM Task Force on Clinical Competence (ACC/AHA Committee to Develop a Clinical Competence Statement on Electrocardiography and Ambulatory Electrocardiography) Endorsed by the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology

The granting of clinical staff privileges to physicians is a primary mechanism used by institutions to uphold the quality of care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that the granting of continuing medical staff privileges be based on assessments of

ACC/AHA clinical competence statement on echocardiography: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine Task Force on Clinical Competence Developed in Collaboration with the American Society of Echocardiography, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography

Preamble......688 References......708 The granting of clinical staff privileges to physicians is a primary mechanism used by institutions to uphold the quality of care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that the granting of continuing medical staff

ACC/AHA clinical competence statement on electrocardiography and ambulatory electrocardiography. A report of the ACC/AHA/ACP-ASIM Task Force on Clinical Competence (ACC/AHA Committee to Develop a Clinical Competence Statement on Electrocardiography and Ambulatory Electrocardiography).

The granting of clinical staff privileges to physicians is a primary mechanism used by institutions to uphold the quality of care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that the granting of continuing medical staff privileges be based on assessments of

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Clinical Competence Statement on Stress Testing

The granting of clinical staff privileges is one of the primary mechanisms used by institutions to uphold the quality of care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires that the granting of initial or continuing medical staff privileges be based on assessment of applicants against professional criteria specified in medical staff bylaws. Physicians and other healthcare providers are thus charged with identifying the criteria that constitute professional competence and with evaluating their peers accordingly. The process of evaluating clinical knowledge and competence is often constrained by the evaluator’s own knowledge and ability to elicit the appropriate information, a problem that is compounded by the growing number of highly specialized procedures for which privileges are requested. The American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) Task Force on Clinical Competence was formed in 1998 to develop recommendations to attain and maintain the cognitive and technical skills necessary for the competent performance of a specific cardiovascular service, procedure, or technology. These documents are evidence based, and where evidence is not available, expert opinion is called upon to formulate recommendations. Indications and contraindications for specific services or procedures are not included in the scope of these documents. Recommendations are intended to assist those who must judge the competence of cardiovascular healthcare providers entering practice for the first time and/or those who are in practice and undergo periodic review of their practice expertise. Because the assessment of competence is complex and multidimensional, isolated recommendations contained herein may not necessarily be sufficient or appropriate for judging overall competence. Board specialty certification is not a required part of these recommendations but is another measure of expertise. This statement is a revision and extension of the previous ACP/ACC/AHA Task Force Statement on Clinical Competence in Exercise Testing. …

ACCF/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on Cardiac Imaging With Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association/American College of Physicians Task Force on Clinical Competence and Training: Developed in Collaboration With the American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging, and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions: Endorsed by the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

ACCF/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on Cardiac Imaging With Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/ American Heart Association/American College of Physicians Task Force on Clinical Competence and Training Developed in Collaboration With the American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging, and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions Endorsed by the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography

ACC 2009 survey results and recommendations: Addressing the cardiology workforce crisis A report of the ACC board of trustees workforce task force.

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing by 1% to 2% per year, and will continue to do so over the next 2 decades ([1][1]). The American Heart Association predicts that by 2020, at least 20 million more people in the United States will be afflicted with heart disease than there

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Clinical Competence Statement on Echocardiography

Developed in Collaboration with the American Society of Echocardiography, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and the Society of Pediatric Echocardiography

ACC/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on Echocardiography

Preamble......688 References......708 The granting of clinical staff privileges to physicians is a primary mechanism used by institutions to uphold the quality of care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations requires that the granting of continuing medical staff

American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Clinical Competence Statement on Invasive Electrophysiology Studies, Catheter Ablation, and Cardioversion

The granting of clinical staff privileges to physicians is a primary mechanism used by institutions to uphold the quality of patient care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires that the granting of continuing medical staff privileges be based on assessments of applicants in accordance with professional criteria specified in the medical staff bylaws. Physicians and other healthcare providers are thus charged with identifying the criteria that constitute professional competence and with evaluating their peers accordingly. The process of evaluating clinical knowledge and competence is often constrained by the evaluator’s knowledge and ability to elicit the appropriate information, a problem that is compounded by the growing number of highly specialized procedures for which privileges are requested. The American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) Task Force on Clinical Competence was formed in 1998 to develop recommendations to attain and maintain the cognitive and technical skills necessary for the competency performance of a specific cardiovascular service, procedure, or technology. These documents are evidence based, and where evidence is not available, expert opinion is used to formulate recommendations. Indications and contraindications for specific services or procedures are not included in the scope of these guidelines. Recommendations are intended to assist those who must judge the competence of cardiovascular healthcare providers who are entering practice for the first time and those who are in practice and undergo periodic review of their practice expertise. Because the assessment of competence is complex and multidimensional, the isolated recommendations given here may not be sufficient or appropriate for the judgment of overall competence. Board specialty certification is not a required part of these guidelines but rather is another measure of expertise. The ACC/AHA/ACP-ASIM Task Force on Clinical Competence makes every effort to avoid any actual or …

Lessons Learned from Preparticipation Cardiovascular Screening in a State Funded Program

In 2007, the Texas legislature appropriated money for a pilot study to evaluate cardiovascular screening of student athletes to identify those who might be at risk of sudden death using a questionnaire, physical examination, electrocardiography, and limited echocardiography. We sought to determine (1) the feasibility of a state-wide cardiovascular screening program, (2) the ability to reliably identify at-risk subjects, and (3) problems in implementing screening state wide. The data were analyzed using established pediatric electrocardiographic and echocardiographic criteria. Positive results were confirmed by a blinded reviewer. In 31 venues (2,506 students), the electrocardiographic findings met the criteria for cardiovascular disease in 57 (2.3%), with 33 changes suggestive of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 14 with long QT syndrome, 7 with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, and 3 with potential ischemic findings related to a coronary anomaly. Of the 2,051 echocardiograms, 11 had findings concerning for disease (9 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 1 with dilated cardiomyopathy). In patients with electrocardiographic findings consistent with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the limited echocardiograms were normal in 24 of 33. Of the 33 who remained at risk of sudden death on the electrocardiogram or echocardiogram, 25 (65.8%) pursued the recommended evaluation, which confirmed long QT syndrome in 4, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in 7, and dilated cardiomyopathy in 1. The interobserver agreement was 100% for electrocardiography and 79% for echocardiography. The questionnaire identified 895 (35% of the total) potentially at-risk students, with disease confirmed in 11 (1.23%). In conclusion, in this large state-funded project, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic screening identified 11 of 2,506 patients potentially at risk of cardiovascular disease. The questionnaire was of limited value and had a large number of false-positive results. Interobserver variation was significant for echocardiography and might create problems with limited echocardiographic screening. Finally, many subjects with abnormal screening results declined a follow-up evaluation.