Four hospitals participate in American Heart Association home care pilot

The American Heart Association, in tandem with health technology company Cadence, is launching a home care program that intends to reduce 30-day readmissions for heart failure patients.

Four hospitals have been selected to take part in the pilot.

American Heart Association Connected Care is a virtual care program that delivers ongoing heart and cardiometabolic care to patients at home after their hospital stay.

Hospitals can refer eligible patients to the Connected Care program prior to discharge. The AHA is working with participating hospitals to integrate the program into discharge workflows. Cadence enrolls patients in the program, teaching them how to use their devices while the tech company monitors vital sign readings and provides ongoing clinical support.

The pilot program is currently underway at Texas Health Allen, Texas Health Resources; Rutherford Regional Medical Center, Lifepoint Health; Frye Regional Medical Center, Lifepoint Health; and Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Health.

WHAT’S THE IMPACT

With chronic disease rates rising across the U.S., healthcare systems face ongoing challenges in reducing hospital stays and readmissions. Published research from the AHA shows nearly one in four heart failure patients is readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, and fewer than 20% receive all four guideline-directed medical therapy pillars post-discharge, despite strong evidence showing these therapies improve patient outcomes.

At the same time, the number of people living with chronic illness is expected to double from 2020 to 2050, the data showed. 

“Our legacy is built on bringing science to life and meeting people where they are to reimagine how healthcare is delivered,” said John Meiners, chief of mission-aligned businesses at the American Heart Association. “By combining advanced remote patient monitoring technology with our expertise in guideline-directed care and chronic condition management, we can help extend the high-quality care hospitals provide, ensuring people with heart failure receive proactive, timely support at home when they need it most.”

THE LARGER TREND

Backed by funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, the American Heart Association last year launched a new three-year initiative to improve hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) systems of care and standardize how patients with HCM are identified, assessed, referred and treated.

HCM is a thickening of the lower main pumping chamber of the heart – the left ventricle. The disease is often underdiagnosed and inconsistently managed, the AHA said, leading to delayed treatment, increased risk of complications and preventable death.

It's a chronic disease that can get worse over time and lead to poorer quality of life and long-term complications, including atrial fibrillation, stroke and heart failure, the AHA said.