I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I hope all is well with everyone. My name is Dennis Angellotti and I’m the current president for MNACVPR for 2008. I’ve worked at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids in cardiac rehabilitation for 13 years and have loved every moment of it. I received my master’s in Exercise Physiology from Northeastern Illinois in Chicago and later went on to get my nursing degree from St. Catherine’s in Minneapolis. I look forward to supporting you as the MNACVPR president in 2008. Congratulations to Nancy Nubson, from Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls: she is the President Elect for 2009. It’s great having her on board and the organization looks forward to supporting her.

I would first like to thank Peg Bear for getting me involved in MNACVPR back in 2003. She has been a friend and a mentor to me since I started cardiac rehabilitation in 1994. I still have her number on speed dial in case I have any questions. I must also thank Jessica Oman and John Inkster both past MNACVPR presidents, for their guidance, support and for paving a path for me to follow. Finally, I need to say thank you to Marsha Pauly for all her help with last year’s state conference and allowing me to bounce ideas off her. MNACVPR would like to acknowledge Ruth Rinker for all the time and energy she has given to the organization over the past 6 years. She has decided to step down as Treasurer; she has played a big role getting this organization to this point and she’ll be missed, but will be staying on as parliamentarian for 1 year.

As it has been for many years, the number one priority of our organization at the state and national level continues to be reimbursement. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation continues to operate under the “incident to physician services” within Medicare. We continue to try and get the language changed in Medicare so that cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation will have its own benefit category.

Once again MNACVPR will be sending representatives to AACVPR’s Day on the Hill (DOTH) in Washington, DC. The purpose of DOTH is to inform our Representatives and Senators about the issues both cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation face currently and in the future. Ultimately our goal is for our congressional leaders to co-sponsor bills S. 329 in the senate and HR. 552 in the house and get them both passed into law requiring coverage of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Currently, both Senator Coleman and Senator Klobuchar have co-sponsored S. 329 in the senate. Congressman Ramstad, Congressman Oberstar, Congressman Peterson, Congressman Ellison, Congresswoman McCollum and Congressman Walz have all co-sponsored HR. 552 in the house and only Congressman Kline and Congresswoman Bachmann need to sign on.

Finally, we need to continue to show our appreciation and write our Senators and Representatives to thank them for co-sponsoring our bills. MNACVPR member’s who live or work in Congressman Kline and Congresswoman Bachmann district need to continue to write them, to get them to sign on and co-sponsor the bill. The date for DOTH is February 28-29, Holiday Inn Capitol 1-800-972-3159. It would be great to see more MNACVPR members or rehabilitation professionals at DOTH. It’s a great experience and something you’ll always remember (see if your hospital would support you at DOTH). If you have any other questions please feel free to contact any MNACVPR board member or contact myself (763-236-8024).

Just a reminder, if you are interested in attending the next MNACVPR board meeting it is Friday February 22nd at American Heart Association building in Edina. The spring conference will once again be held in St. Cloud on Wednesday April 2nd. Look for the date for the fall conference on the MNACVPR web site www.mnacvpr.org Thank you and have a great year in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Dennis Angellotti, MS, RN
MNACVPR President

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