Changes: Timothy P. Obarski, DO, FACP, FACC Assumes The ICAEL Presidency from the June 2005 issue

At the ICAEL Board of Directors meeting held in January, Timothy P. Obarski, DO, FACP, FACC, assumed the office of President. Representing the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Obarski joined the ICAEL Board of Directors in 1995 as a founding member. Since that time, he has maintained an active role on the Board of Directors' Executive Committee, having served as President-Elect and as Treasurer.

In preparation for his new role with the organization, Dr. Obarski summarized the goals for his presidential term stating, "I hope to accomplish several projects that will significantly impact the applicant laboratories. These include updating the ICAEL Standards to ensure that they continue to accurately reflect current practice, investigating and implementing ways to reduce the workload associated with completion of the application while maintaining the assurance of quality, and the institution of a peer-review program for case study evaluation [read the article The Results Are In! Findings From The ICAEL Survey, from this issue, for preliminary details]."

As a current member of the advocacy committees for both the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography, as well as serving on the Carrier Advisory Committee (CAC) in Ohio representing the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Obarski has extensive knowledge and expertise on issues related to payment policy and reimbursement for cardiac imaging procedures. He plans to facilitate continued collaboration between these organizations and the ICAEL, stating that he hopes to "ensure stable reimbursement for quality laboratories through processes that recognize the accreditation process."

Dr. Obarski is the Co-Director of Non-Invasive Imaging at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, he is affiliated with Heart Specialists of Ohio, an imaging facility that has the honored distinction of having achieved accreditation status with all three of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission's accrediting bodies: the ICAEL; the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL); and the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL). There are a limited number of medical facilities within the United States and Canada that have achieved all three of these accreditations. Dr. Obarski reflected on Heart Specialists of Ohio's accomplishment, stating, "We are proud to be able to demonstrate our commitment to quality testing in echocardiography, noninvasive vascular testing, and nuclear cardiology through ICAEL, ICAVL and ICANL accreditation. Each one of these processes has proven to be a valuable self-evaluation tool, as well as an excellent method for promoting our practice's commitment to quality to our patients, referring physicians and insurers."

Upon receiving his medical degree with honors from The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Obarski completed his residency and a cardiac imaging fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Related to cardiac imaging, Dr. Obarski has authored and co-authored multiple manuscripts, book chapters, and reviews, and participates extensively as a faculty member at national meetings.