Professionals

Heart Failure

Heart failure accounts for more than 700,000 hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries every year and is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. The national Heart Failure Project focuses on increasing the appropriate evaluation of left ventricular systolic function and the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with reduced left ventricular systolic function.

Public Health Importance

Heart failure is a uniquely appropriate target for quality improvement efforts. It is a common disease in the elderly, accounting for more hospital admissions than any other diagnosis in patients over the age of 65. The prevalence of heart failure is rising dramatically with the aging of the US population. In addition, heart failure is associated with 20 to 30 percent one-year mortality rates in the elderly and causes significant functional limitation. Estimates of annual expenditures on heart failure in the United States range from $10 billion to $40 billion.

Main Objective
To decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure in Medicare beneficiaries.

Quality Indicators

To increase the use of the following care processes for patients hospitalized with heart failure:

• Appropriate diagnostic tests to evaluate left ventricular systolic function (LVSF) in heart failure.
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) for heart failure patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 40 percent.
• Smoking cessation counseling during hospitalization.
• Comprehensive discharge instructions to patients hospitalized with heart failure.

Tools & Resources

ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines
American Health Quality Association (AHQA)
American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC)
Heart Care –Heart Failure & Myocardial Infarction
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are undertaking an initiative to raise physician awareness about disparities in medical care, beginning with cardiac care. News, guidelines, chartbook on disparities in health care and articles.
Hospital Quality Initiative
MedQIC is a website where health care professionals can find and share quality improvement resources and browse through recommended interventions developed by colleagues and experts in their field. MedQIC offers tools, articles and links to resources about how to transform organizational culture, adopt health information technology, redesign care processes, and measure and report performance.