Location: Wardman Park Marriot Hotel - Washington, DC

Conference Dates: Apr 23-25, 2009

The Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference is dedicated to studying patients' experiences with cardiovascular care and leveraging these insights to improve the quality of cardiac and stroke care. The conference also actively fosters informal interaction among attendees and provides networking opportunities for early career investigators. 

The meeting will focus on new developing opportunities, initiatives, projects, policies and research relevant to measuring and improving quality of care and outcomes for persons with or at risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Novel research methods for quantifying outcomes, new findings from clinical trials and observational studies and translational research will also be presented. 

This conference is for clinicians, researchers, medical students and trainees, nurses, pharmacists, administrators, healthcare and managed care professionals, policymakers and other healthcare professionals interested in quality of care and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease and stroke. Trainees are particularly encouraged to attend so that they may become acquainted with the current state of the field and to interact with many of the leading researchers in this area. Special efforts are made to introduce new individuals to the field. 

Marriot Wardman Park

2660 Woodley ROad, Northwest

Washington, DC, 20008

Hotel Telephone: (202) 328-2000

Hotel Fax: (202) 387-5436

Hotel Web Site: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasdt-marriott-wardman-park-hotel/

Reservations Department Telephone: (202) 326-2983

Or Marriott Reservations: (800) 228-9290

Hotel room block is listed as AHA 2009 Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke. Guests must refer to this to receive the special rate. 

Rates are $239 for single occupancy, $259 for double occupancy, $279 for triple occupancy, and $299 for quad occupancy. These rates are subject to current state, local and occupancy taxes.

The hotel cut-off date is Saturday, March 21, 2009. All reservation requests and/or changes in reservations received after this date will be accepted on a space and rate available basis.

Hotel check-in time: 3 p.m.

Hotel check-out time: Noon

Sign up for an AHA/ASA professional membership by April 8,2009 and save up to $300 off registration. Become part of an international, interdisciplinary community of more than 26,000 professionals. Members receive priceless benefits and valuable discounts on AHA/ASA meetings and products.

Click here to learn more about member services

Registration is now open online for the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference 2009, which will be held April 23-25, 2009, at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. The deadline for advance registration is March 18, 2009. Registration received after that date will be processed on sirte and the fee will increase. Fees are shown below.

Professional AHA Members (On or before March 18,2009)

Premium Professional Plus Member $425

Premium Professional Member $425

General Professional Member $525

Premium Emeritus Member $200

Early Career Member $375

Nurse Premium Professional Member $225

Nurse General Professional Member $250

Trainee/Fellow/Student Member $250

Technician Member $250

Professional Nonmembers (On or before March 18, 2009)

Nonmember $725

Nurse Nonmember $350

Early Career Nonmember $475

Trainee/Fellow/Student Nonmember $350

Technician Nonmember $350

Professional AHA Members (After March 18,2009)

Premium Professional Plus Member $525

Premium Professional Member $525

General Professional Member $625

Premium Emeritus Member $300

Early Career Member $475

Nurse Premium Professional Member $325

Nurse General Professional Member $350

Trainee/Fellow/Student Member $350

Technician Member $350

Professional Nonmembers (After March 18, 2009)

Nonmember $825

Nurse Nonmember $450

Early Career Nonmember $575

Trainee/Fellow/Student Nonmember $450

Technician Nonmember $450

Special Trainee Sessions (Friday, April 24 @ 7 p.m.)  $10

Dinner (Thursday, April 23 @ 6 p.m.)  $60

Workshops (Thursday, April 23)  $50

1. Leveraging NHLBI Studies for Outcomes Research (1-5 p.m.)
2. The Emerging Prominence of Comparative Effectiveness: How to Frame and Analyze the Important Questions (1-5 p.m.)
3. Quality Bootcamp - An introduction to Improving the Quality of Care at Your Institution (1-5 p.m.)

*Nonmember trainees, fellows, students, and technicians and member technicians must provide proof of status with a current license or certificate, student ID or a letter written on official letterhead and signed by a department head, mentor or supervisor.

NOTE: AHA council members pay a significantly discounted fee. To qualify for the AHA membership rate, you must renew or become an AHA member by April 8, 2009. For detailed information about the levels of membership, criteria and benefits associated with each level, please visit Member Services.  

Media Registrants:

Reporters, writers, producers or editors with credentials from a newspaper, magazine, online news service, radio or TV network or station, wire service and syndicate may register to attend the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference 2009. MEdia interested in attending should contact the News Media Relations office at (214) 706-1173 or wynette.randolph@heart.org

Payment

Full payment must be received with your registration form. Make checks payable to the American Heart Association or charge your registration to American Express, Discover, VISA, or MasterCard. Registrations without complete payment will not be processed. Wire transfers and purchase orders are not accepted. 

Confirmation

Registrants will receive written confirmation/receipt of registration via e-mail.

Badges

Attendees registering in advance will find their badges and conference materials at the American Heart Association registration desk at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel. 

Refunds

A full refund will be made if we receive written notice of cancellation by March 18, 2009; otherwise, a $70 cancellation/processing fee will be charged. No refunds will be made after April 15, 2009.

Please Note: The American Heart Association shall not be liable for cancellation of the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Conference 2009 caused by labor strikes, civil disorders, fires, weather conditions, or other acts of God or for any damages or losses resulting from such a cancellation.

Questions?

If you have questions regarding:

• Membership Call Lippincott Williams and Wilkins at (800) 787-8984 or (301) 223-2307; fax (301) 223-2355; or e-mail ahaonline@lww.com
• Registration Call CDS at (508) 743-8528 or (866) 639-7214, or e-mail HeartConferences@xpressreg.net

10th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke

Physicians, research investigators and other health scientists are invited to submit abstracts. Abstracts for the conference will be selected for oral or poster presentation.

The deadline for electronic submission is 5 p.m. CST, Jan. 12, 2009. Submit your abstract. Please note that you will be charged a processing fee of U.S. $25 for each abstract you submit. 

Abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference will be published in May in an online issue of the AHA journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 

Abstracts may be submitted in the following categories: 

• Clinical Trials - Main Results and Substudies
• Cost Effectiveness Analysis/Economic Assessment
• Disparities in Care
• Innovations of Care/Technology Assessment
• Methodology of Outcomes Research
• Pattern of Care Description
• Quality of Care Assessment
• Quality Improvement Initiatives - Local Level
• Quality Improvement Initiatives - Regional/National Level
• Quality of Life/Functional Status Assessment
• Risk Factor Assessment and Treatment
• Risk Stratification and Prognosis
• Translational Research
• Other

Rules for Preparation and Submission of Abstracts

• Abstract session are a forum for the presentation of novel research findings. Thus, the work covered by the abstract must not have been published (manuscript or abstract), or presented at any national meeting or world congress prior to April 22, 2009. 
• Submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment by the author(s) to present it if accepted. Failure to present, if not justified, will jeopardize future acceptance of abstracts by the AHA.
• Expenses (including conference registration fees) associated with the submission and presentation of an abstract at the responsibility of the presenter.
• Presenting/submitting authors must register and pay for attendance to the conference. If your abstract is accepted and not presented at the conference or if a presenter fails to present, your abstract is subject to be pulled from publication following the meeting. 

Abstract Title

• An abstract must have a short, specific title (containing no abbreviations) that indicates the nature of the investigation.

Author Name(s)

• The submitting author is designated as the primary/presenting author. You may rearrange the order of the authors; however, the senior author must always be listed last.
• If an author's name appears on more than one abstract, it must be identical on each abstract.
• Additions or deletions of author names will not be permitted after Jan. 12, 2009.

Abstract Data

• All abstracts must be submitted in English.
• Authors should not "split" data to create several abstracts from one. If splitting is judged to have occurred, priority scores of related abstracts will be reduced.
• Abstracts containing identical or nearly identical data submitted from the same institution and/or individuals will be disqualified.
• To ensure that the abstract receives proper scientific consideration, please make sure that the abstract is submitted to the appropriate category.
• Proofread abstracts carefully to avoid errors before submission. No proof pages will be sent to authors. 

Abstract Text

• Describe briefly the objectives of the study unless they are contained in the title. Include a brief statement of methods if pertinent. State findings in detail sufficient to support conclusions. Abstracts should not describe research in which the chemical identity or source of the reagent is proprietary or cannot be revealed.
• Formulas should be avoided. Use generic drug names.
• Do not begin sentences with numerals. When percentages are used, the absolute number from which they are derived must be included; for example, "33% (10 of 30)".
• Standard abbreviations may be used without definition. Nonstandard abbreviations (kept to a minimum) must be placed in parentheses after the first use of the word or phrase abbreviated.
• Do not include references, credits or grant support.
• Do not include the names or personal information of any patient participating in the study or trial.
• To ensure that the abstract receives proper scientific consideration, please make sure that the abstract is submitted to the appropriate category.
• Abstracts are limited to 1,950 characters (about 400 words). Addition of a table deducts 250 characters; addition of a graphic deducts 500 characters. 
• Any graphic/table should be placed at the end of the abstract. Do no add paragraph breaks within the body of the abstract.

Abstract Revisions

• After 5 p/,/ CST, Jan. 12, 2009, abstracts may not be revised or resubmitted.
• Additions or deletions of author names will not be permitted after Jan. 12, 2009.

Abstract Withdrawal

• Requests for withdrawal of an abstract must be received in writing by March 20, 2009 to avoid publication in the online version of Circulation and the final program.

Abstract Acceptance

• Abstract grading is blinded.
• Abstracts are selected on the basis of scientific merit and are allocated to oral or poster presentations. The conference Program Committee will determine whether the abstract is to be presented orally or by poster. When submitting, selecting oral or poster presentation will neither prejudice acceptance nor guarantee an oral or poster presentation because abstracts must be arranged to fit into a thematic group for presentation. However, the Program Committee will make every effort to accommodate your presentation request.
• Abstract presentation is limited to two abstracts per first author.
• Abstracts selected will be published in a May online edition of Circulation.
• Submitters will be notified of acceptance/non-acceptance status by March 6, 2009.

Abstract Presentation

• Guidelines for abstract presentation (oral and poster) will be provided to authors of accepted abstracts.
• All presentations and question-and-answer sessions will be conducted in English. Presenters may request assistance from the moderator who will repeat or rephrase questions from the audience or may ask a colleague in the audience to assist with translation.
• The American Heart Association reserves the right to all video or audio recordings of the presentations at the Forum.
• Unauthorized recording of the ASA Stroke Conference is prohibited, whether by video, still or digital photography, audio or any other recording or reproduction mechanism. This includes recording of presentations and supporting a/v materials and of poster presentations and supporting poster materials.
• All oral presentations must be in electronic format. Electronic presentations must be submitted 24 hours in advance of the session start time. Instructions will be provided upon acceptance.

If you are referencing work preciously published by another author, please be sure to include a complete citation at the bottom of the appropriate slide.