2016 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Role of Non-Statin Therapies for LDL

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) develops a number of clinical policy documents to provide members with guidance on clinical topics. Although clinical prac- tice guidelines remain the primary mechanism for offer- ing evidence-based recommendations, such guidelines may contain gaps in their guidance regarding clinical decision making, particularly when equipoise is present in a topic. Expert consensus documents are intended to provide guidance for clinicians in areas where evidence may be limited, are new and evolving, or lack sufficient data to fully inform clinical decision making. In an effort to increase the impact of ACC clinical policy on patient care, an ACC Presidential Task Force was formed in 2014 to examine the processes and format of ACC’s clinical documents. The main recommendation of the task force was a new focus on concise decision path- ways and/or key points of care, instead of the traditional longer documents. The task force also established criteria for i...