This year has been like no other! We’ve weathered COVID-19 and all that the pandemic brought with it. In the process, we’ve learned a lot about how COVID-19 affects the heart and were given countless opportunities to develop innovative ways to enhance communication with our patients so that we could remain connected from a distance. Our nation’s social unrest focused our attention on the need to eliminate racial biases and discrimination. Ongoing stresses and tensions in healthcare and at home can be exhausting, especially when it’s difficult to focus on personal self-care and wellbeing.

Throughout the year, you, our HFSA members, have been treasured resources who have stepped forward to meet these challenges. 

Globally, the pandemic has been our reality and new normal for most of 2020. But at HFSA, we have continued moving our vision, mission and strategic goals forward. 

The Journal of Cardiac Failure has a new Editor-in-Chief, Robert J. Mentz, MD. We welcome him in his role and are excited to learn how he and the new editorial board will bring advancements to the journal to better meet your needs. Our journal offers innovative research findings, along with contemporary and comprehensive information for members. Please submit your manuscripts and enjoy the journal, available online to all HFSA members.

I am happy to share that on December 3rd, the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) published a decision memo of updates on coverage policies for artificial hearts and related devices, including ventricular assist devices (VADs) for bridge-to-transplant and destination therapy. National coverage determinations were revised to provide coverage for VADs and to provide a more standard coverage determination process for artificial hearts where coverage decisions are made by local Medicare Administrative Contractors. HFSA joined many other organizations to submit comments in September; thus, the outcome is exciting for our membership. To read the final decision, visit the CMS website.

The HFSA Virtual Patient and Caregiver Day 2020 on December 5th provided a great opportunity for us to learn from patients and caregivers and optimize connections. Our patient offerings of previous years has advanced to a full Patient Hub that includes patient membership (first offered in 2019), the Heart Failure Beat Healthy Living podcast (launched in 2019), our Heart Failure Awareness 365 campaigns, and greater attention to direct participation by patients in relation to advocacy and development roles. I encourage you to visit the Hub, tune into the podcast, and share these resources with your patients.

The second week in February 2021 is National Heart Failure Awareness Week! When you hear about it, share information with your patients. There are many ways for you to be involved in Heart Failure Awareness Week at an individual or institutional level, so be sure to watch your inbox and social media feed for releases and more information.

In closing, I want to extend warm wishes to you this holiday season. This is the time of “giving" and I’d like to give you a huge thanks for the heart failure work you do all year long and for serving the HFSA in multiple ways — as a volunteer, a research collaborator, educator and/or colleague. Our heart failure community is awesome, and everyone’s roles are important in helping our professions to succeed.

I look forward to a productive New Year for HFSA and am looking forward to a time when we can connect in person!

Nancy M. Albert, PhD, CCNS, FHFSA
HFSA President 2020-2021