The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday launched the exciting new Million Hearts initiative aimed at preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years.

The public/private program, which will build on work already underway as a result of the Affordable Care Act, is focused on empowering Americans to make healthy choices such as preventing tobacco use and reducing sodium and trans fat consumption, as well as improving care for people who do need treatment by encouraging a targeted focus on aspirin, blood pressure control, cholesterol management and smoking cessation. It will be led by Thomas Frieden, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Donald Berwick, MD, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, along with ACC’s Janet Wright, MD, FACC, who is leaving her post as ACC's SVP for Science and Quality to serve as director of the program.

“Heart disease causes one of every three American deaths and constitutes 17 percent of overall national health spending,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “By enlisting partners from across the health sector, Million Hearts will create a national focus on combating heart disease.”

I, along with President-Elect William Zoghbi, MD, FACC, Vice President John Gordon Harold, MD, MACC, and Board of Trustees member William Oetgen, MD, FACC, attended the announcement to underscore our long-time commitment to the very issues being addressed by this program. The College is excited about the opportunity to support this effort through our CardioSmart national care initiative, as well as through our continued efforts to encourage the adoption and use of point-of-care tools and data registries. These tools and resources will be critical to helping providers not only provide the most appropriate care, but track patient outcomes.