Q1
Zoom Meeting:
To watch the recorded Zoom call, click the link below:
Passcode: *%DK9YBr
CSCR Meeting Minutes Update
Date: [Insert Meeting Date]
Submitted by: Sue Casso
Treasurer’s Report
CSCR Balance as of 2/28/2025:
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Business Checking: $2,0122.55
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Business CD: $5,230.67
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Total Balance: $7,243.22
2025 Statement of Operations:
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Annual revenue has exceeded expenses by $0.00
Marketing
To access the Members Section (meeting minutes, Zoom recordings, registration, and AACVPR 2024 presentations):
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Email Sue to request the website password.
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If a reset is needed, Sue will contact the webmaster on your behalf.
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Please take a moment to check your access and notify Sue if support is needed.
Member Benefits Include:
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Meeting minutes
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Zoom recordings
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Meeting registration access
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Sharing of best practices and articles
Website Updates Needed:
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The State CR site map and program contact info should be reviewed annually.
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One staff member per program is asked to confirm/update their region’s information. Please contact Sue for changes or confirmation.
Job Postings:
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Continue sending openings to susan19791979@gmail.com
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Include a detailed job description or a direct application link.
Note: The Marketing Chair position is currently vacant. Interested members should reach out to Sue directly.
Membership
2025 Membership Census Update
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Professional Fee: $60
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Student Fee: $25 (must include student ID copy)
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Make checks payable to: CSCR
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Mail to:
Joe Petreycik
Bridgeport Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation
1305 Post Road, Suite 105
Fairfield, CT 06824
Help us grow!
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If you have any connections with state universities or colleges, please let the Executive Board know. We’re looking to collaborate with nursing and exercise science programs.
AACVPR Certification & Recertification Updates
2025 Review Overview:
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650 Total Applications
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248 Pulmonary
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402 Cardiac
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Recent Changes:
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AACVPR will now verify expiration date for CCRP.
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Submitting more than one ITP document = Denial.
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Only one Reassessment can be submitted — must include all MD signatures.
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HT/Wt/BMI alone is not an eating habits assessment.
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Reassessments are required, even if no issues were found.
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Performance Measures:
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If plan is to educate staff → Denied
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If plan is to change tool/questionnaire → Denied
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If plan is to change the process → further clarification likely needed
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Program Planning
CSCR Website Update:
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The AACVPR Breakout Sessions from the national conference in CA have been posted for self-paced learning in place of the January meeting.
Upcoming Meetings:
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June 26 | 12:00–3:00 PM (in person or Zoom)
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September 25 | 12:00–3:00 PM or 5:00–7:00 PM (in person or Zoom)
Potential Topics:
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Gut Microbiota and CVD
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Weight Loss Medications
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Fall Symposium Planning
Speaker Ideas?
Please email Kelsey at Kelsey.Jeanette@hhchealth.org with ideas or speaker contacts.
Executive Board Updates
Open Positions for 2025:
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Secretary
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Marketing
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President
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President-Elect
Bylaws are available upon request. New members and volunteers are encouraged to step forward — participation can positively impact your performance evaluations and career development.
Featured Presentation
Topic: Rehab Considerations for People with Aortic Conditions
Speaker: Paul Oh, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FACP, FAACVPR
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Medical Director, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention & Rehabilitation
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University Health Network (Toronto Rehab & Peter Munk Cardiac Centre)
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Associate Professor, University of Toronto
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Fellow of AACVPR since 2020
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Published in over 300 peer-reviewed journals
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Leads research in exercise, behavioral interventions, and chronic disease management
📽️ Recording Available:
Please see the recorded meeting to hear Dr. Oh’s full presentation. PowerPoint slides have already been shared with attendees.
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Q2
April Updates
Happy National Volunteer Week
While National Volunteer Week is coming to a close, our gratitude and appreciation persist. THANK YOU to our:
- Board of Directors
- Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee
- Affiliate Leaders
- Document Oversight Committee
- Education Committee
- JCRP Editorial Team
- Membership & Affiliate Relations Committee
- Professional Certification Commission
- Program Certification Committee
- Quality of Care Committee
- Registry Committee/Super User Group
- Research Committee
- Value-Based Care Committee
- Members who represent AACVPR in the industry
Your unwavering commitment to service is the driving force behind our mission. Please take a moment to celebrate your invaluable contributions and check out this video from AACVPR President Hank Wu, MD, MPH.
Share Your Best Out West
AACVPR is proud to offer multiple opportunities to highlight your research at the 39th AACVPR Annual Meeting, taking place September 25-27 in Anaheim, California. Establish yourself as a leader within the realm of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation by submitting a beginning investigator presentation, oral abstract, or poster presentation before 11:59 p.m. CT on May 1.
Press "Play" on The Pulse Pod
The Pulse Pod is back for round three with Tom Draper as the host! Check out the season premiere to learn about AACVPR's 2024 Day on the Hill (DOTH) directly from people who were in D.C. Throughout the episode, you'll have a chance to hear attendees reflect on the event, how meetings with legislators went, and more.
Learn
Explore the relationship between psychological distress and cardiovascular health by participating in our upcoming webinar on May 14. Learn more
Take advantage of your AACVPR membership and save $100 on registration for our final PR Billing & Coding Workshop of 2024, taking place on June 5. Register now
Connect
Converse with your cardiopulmonary peers from across the country by visiting AACVPR Central.
Visit the AACVPR Career Center to find a job that makes your heart happy.
Practice
Check out the latest issue of the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention (JCRP).
Garner tips on how to implement strategies from the second edition of the Million Hearts®/AACVPR Cardiac Rehabilitation Change Package (CRCP) from a four-part video series. Watch now
Advocate
Take one minute to send a letter to your U.S. Representative or Senators on critical legislation impacting CR and PR services. Take action
April 26, 2024
Cardiac Rehab Can Improve the Bidirectional Relationship Between Heart Health and Mental Health
Ahead of her upcoming live webinar, Sharon Lee, PhD, talks with News & Views about the link between mental health and cardiovascular well-being. Cardiac rehabilitation, she explains, is an ideal space where both can be nurtured.
JCRP Line-Up and Video Overview, Plus Article Summary on CR in Patients With Heart Failure: May 2024
To catch up on the latest research in the CR/PR field, check out a brief video from JCRP Editor-in-Chief Todd Brown, MD, MSPH, FACC, MAACVPR, who runs down what readers can expect in the upcoming issue. Our sneak peek also features a quick-read synopsis of one paper, “Cardiac Rehabilitation Use After Heart Failure Hospitalization Associated with Advanced Heart Failure Center Status.”
Reiki: Lending a ‘Hand’ to Anxious CR/PR Patients
The holistic healing energy of Reiki is a perfect complement to traditional cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, writes Linda Clark, RN, BC, BSN, who has been practicing the skill for years. She explains the benefits of Reiki, how it works and what CR/PR programs need to do in order to offer the service to their participants.
AACVPR Accolades: Celebrating the Remarkable Career of Dr. Ray Squires
How to report every single impact from an extraordinary professional life spanning a quarter of a century? That’s a tough assignment, but Mayo Clinic’s Randal Thomas, MD, MS, captures a selection of key accomplishments defining the legacy of his esteemed colleague, Ray Squires, PhD, MAACVPR, FACSM, FAHA — a pioneer of cardiac rehabilitation who recently announced his retirement.
Gain a Deeper Understanding of Arab Culture to Provide Culturally Competent Care
In observance of Arab American Heritage Month, News & Views is pleased to re-run an article published last fall. In case you missed it in September, our writer spoke with Hayder Abduljabber, a language services supervisor at Mayo Clinic, who suggested ways the cardiopulmonary rehab community can deliver culturally appropriate care to this patient population.
April 26, 2024
AACVPR Health Policy & Reimbursement Update
AACVPR Urges Congressional Committees to Advance Virtual Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
On April 10, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing to examine long-term solutions to maintain telehealth flexibilities. During the hearing, Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), a physician and sponsor of H.R. 1406, the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act, reminded the committee that access to virtual delivery of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services in the hospital outpatient setting lapsed when the COVID-19 PHE ended in May 2023. He urged his colleagues to advance the legislation as part of any telehealth package considered this year. Rep. Joyce engaged witnesses in on the importance of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in improving overall health outcomes and ultimately allowing cost savings to Medicare. He also requested that a letter from AACVPR be entered into the official hearing record.
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), a cardiothoracic surgeon, also spoke about the importance of ensuring access to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services and stated his support for H.R. 1406. He asked the witnesses to comment on the importance of stable reimbursement, noting that Medicare should not pay substantially less for telehealth services.
Health Subcommittee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) closed the hearing stating that he thinks the committee “can work together, to move legislation making sure seniors have access to telehealth when they want it while also including appropriate program integrity measures, addressing the costs of such access to the program.”
On March 12, the House Ways and Means Committee convened a hearing to examine opportunities for enhancing access to care at home for patients in rural and underserved communities. During the hearing, lawmakers considered the importance of maintaining the telehealth flexibilities that make at-home care possible, while also weighing the need to protect patients and taxpayers from potential waste, fraud, and abuse. AACVPR submitted a statement for the hearing record urging the committee to advance H.R. 1406. AACVPR’s testimony focused on the importance of patient access to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in the home, noting the success of COVID-era flexibilities, and discussed the current impediments of access to virtual CR/ICR/PR services explaining that current telehealth extensions only apply to CR/ICR/PR services provided in physician offices, which represents less than 5% of programs. AACVPR stressed that legislative action is needed by Congress since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not have the authority to allow virtual delivery of hospital outpatient services, including CR/ICR/PR services, beyond the expiration of the PHE.
AACVPR Members Return to Washington D.C. for DOTH 2024
Prior to the March 12 hearing, over 75 AACVPR members visited Capitol Hill to educate their U.S. Senators and Representatives about the importance of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services as part of Day on the Hill (DOTH).
DOTH 2024 attendees requested that legislators support the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act (H.R. 1406/S. 3021), and the SOS: Sustaining Outpatient Services Act (H.R. 955/S. 1849). H.R. 1406 gained 10 new bipartisan cosponsors following the DOTH meetings on Capitol Hill, and HR 955 gained two additional cosponsors. But advocacy is not a once-a-year activity; it needs to be ongoing.
If you haven’t already, please contact your senators and representative to ask them to support these important patient access bills. Visit AACVPR’s "Take Action" page for information about the bills and steps on how to contact your legislators by email or phone. AACVPR’s easy-to-use letter template makes taking action as simple as a few clicks. Keep in mind that your personal experiences can tell congressional members and staff why legislation is needed.
AACVPR Welcomes New Firm to Consult on Advocacy Efforts
AACVPR is pleased to announce Hart Health Strategies Inc. as our new government relations partner to advise and execute on the organization’s regulatory and advocacy priorities. Hart Health Strategies Inc. is a distinguished bipartisan consulting and lobbying firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Specializing in navigating legislative and regulatory healthcare landscapes, the firm brings a wealth of experience to the table. The Hart Health Strategies Inc. team is comprised of individuals with bipartisan, bicameral legislative experience and have multi-talented backgrounds in health-related fields, including public health, quality improvement, coding, reimbursement, and health information technology. With relationships extending to Congress and various federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Hart Health Strategies Inc. is well-positioned to champion the interests of AACVPR, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs and professionals, and the patients you serve.
The team at Hart Health Strategies Inc. was thrilled to join AACVPR members for DOTH last month. Many individuals on their legislative and regulatory teams joined DOTH participants to prepare for congressional meetings, attend meetings alongside AACVPR members, and meet with AACVPR’s Board to discuss future advocacy activities. The Hart Health Strategies Inc. team was impressed by the enthusiasm of AACVPR members and remarked about the active participation and willingness to engage with Capitol Hill.
If you have questions about DOTH, or advocacy in general, please send a message to advocacy@aacvpr.org
Q3
Addendum_to_6_2024_Quarterly_minutes
Zoom Meeting:
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Q4
Zoom Meeting:
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