Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the 2019 Endovascular Today PERT Supplement! We hope you enjoy the articles we have assembled from members of the PERT Consortium™. The Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) concept has spread rapidly across the United States and beyond as those involved with management of this devastating, underrecognized, and undertreated condition see the opportunity to improve care and awareness of pulmonary embolism (PE) with a multidisciplinary, team-based approach. Each individual PERT has unique features, and while there are somewhat variable operative modes, the common goal is responding rapidly to the PE patient in need and a commitment to improving outcomes.

The PERT Consortium™ is a voluntary 501(c)(3) organization that was created to bring together PERTs from around and outside of the United States to share experiences, educate one another, and work collaboratively to define best practices. By promoting the multispecialty team-based approach, the Consortium aims to encourage the highest quality of PE care, define the role of novel therapies for PE, and increase overall awareness of PE. The PERT quality registry and database, by providing highly functional and relevant quality assurance dashboards, will enable institutional PERTs to benchmark their PE management and outcomes to those of other participating PERTs. Ultimately, this registry will define what constitutes PE quality and appropriateness of care.

Does your institution have a PERT already? Or are you interested in exploring the PERT model of care for PE? We welcome you to join the Consortium and take advantage of the educational and organizational programs offered, share your knowledge, and join the registry to participate in quality initiatives and research. Our PERT Partners program can help you get started and engaged in all available Consortium activities. Please feel free to contact the PERT Consortium™ staff at admin@pertconsortium.org, or call our team at (617) 872-7338.

Finally, we welcome you to attend the 5th Annual PE Scientific Session, the first and largest CME program dedicated solely to the science and practice of PE care. The meeting will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 4 and 5, 2019, and is preceded by workshops and the annual business meeting of the PERT Consortium™ on October 3rd. Please visit pertconsortium.org to register for this exciting event.

We look forward to seeing you there, and in the meantime, keep PERT-ing!

Sincerely,

Kenneth Rosenfield, MD, MHCDS
Immediate Past-President, The PERT Consortium™

Victor F. Tapson, MD
President, The PERT Consortium™

ON BEHALF OF THE PERT CONSORTIUM™ BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Richard Channick, MD

George A. Davis, PharmD, BCPS

Jay S. Giri, MD, MPH

James Horowitz, MD

Christopher Kabrhel, MD, MPH

Brent Keeling, MD

Robert Lookstein, MD, MHCDL, FSIR, FAHA, FSVM

Robert Maholic, DO

Geno Merli, MD

Jana Montgomery, MD

Rachel Rosovsky, MD, MPH

Charles Ross, MD

David Slosky, MD