New Website Promotes Payment Innovation and Collaboration

For Immediate Release

September 26, 2011

New Website Promotes Payment Innovation and Collaboration

The American College of Cardiology and The American Journal of Managed Care Introduce an Online Community that Promotes High Quality Care

Plainsboro, NJ —The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) are pleased to jointly announce the launch of the Community on Payment Innovations, a new online venue dedicated to advancing the payment reform debate in order to foster an environment where patients can access high quality care for the most affordable cost.

Led by Editor-in-Chief Len Nichols, PhD, the site encourages key stakeholders—cardiologists, pharmacists, hospital executives, government officials, and payers, including health plans and employers—to share best practices and innovative payment models that move away from the traditional fee-for-service system and instead reward high quality, cost-effective care and improved outcomes.

“Managed care is continuing to evolve under health care reform,” said Brian Haug, president of Intellisphere, publishers of AJMC. “Given the shared goals and vision of the ACC and AJMC, it was a natural decision to work together to develop an online environment that further cultivates and promotes best practices in care delivery and payment reform.”

The ACC has a rich history that began in 1949 with a group of 14 cardiovascular physicians who discovered they had a common mission—to continually advance the quality of cardiovascular care through the furtherance of science, education, and emerging initiatives.

In recent years, the ACC has been a leader in the health care reform debate, launching Quality First, a major campaign to establish a new standard for health care reform centered on patient value and quality care.

“The ACC has long argued that payment reform is crucial to the success of real health care reform,” said Jack Lewin, MD, CEO of the ACC. “To date there is no one payment model that stands above the crowd. Partnering with AJMC on this Community opens up a much-needed forum for the health care community and other stakeholders to engage around this important topic and find a solution that meets the needs of patients, providers and the government.”

To learn more about the Community on Payment Innovations, visit http://paymentinnovations.cardiosource.org.

About The American Journal of Managed Care

The American Journal of Managed Care is an independent, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to publishing original research in healthcare outcomes and creating a forum for scientific communication in the ever-evolving field of healthcare delivery. The journal is indexed in MEDLINE/PUBMED. AJMC is published by the Intellisphere Managed Market Group, which is owned by MJH & Associates. For more information, please contact Tobin Sharp, Editorial Director at The American Journal of Managed Care at 609.716.7777 or tsharp@ajmc.com.

About the American College of Cardiology

The American College of Cardiology is transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health through continuous quality improvement, patient-centered care, payment innovation and professionalism. The College is a 39,000-member nonprofit medical society comprised of physicians, surgeons, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists and practice managers, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online at www.cardiosource.org/ACC.