American College of Cardiology (ACC) President Edward T. A. Fry, MD, FACC, an interventional and general cardiologist at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, and chair of the Ascension National Cardiovascular Service Line, discusses the first in-person ACC meeting in three years and the impact of COVID-19 on cardiology practice.
"It was just what the doctor ordered," Fry said of the return to a normal, in-person format after two years of virtual meetings due to the pandemic. "It was a real shot in the arm for people who were striving for that real person-to-person contact and communications, which obviously is not replicable over video."
Fry said there were several things that were impending challenges to cardiology pre-pandemic, including access to care, follow through in care and communication, which were really highlighted as issues during COVID. He said the response to the pandemic forced cardiology to solve these issues immediately. This included a major ramp up in telehealth and remote patient monitoring. He said there were also a lot of innovation that came on line during the pandemic, which will likely propel cardiology practice on a new digital level into the future.
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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.