Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Approximately 2% of the population has heart failure. The American
Heart Association estimates that between 6 to 10% of all people ages 65 and
older have heart failure. Heart failure means your heart's pumping
action has been reduced because the heart muscle has been damaged in some
way. For most people, heart failure is a chronic condition, meaning that it
can be treated but not cured.
Program Goals
Identify patients and provide early interventionPromote use of ejection fraction measurements for newly diagnosed
patientsImprove patient education and self-management
skillsIncrease the percentage of eligible patients receiving ACE (angiotensin
converting enzyme) inhibitor
and/or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) medicationIncrease the enrollment of members diagnosed with CHF in cardiac
rehab and the *St. John’s Heart Failure Management program (if living in
southwest Missouri)Decrease rate of emergency, urgent care, and
inpatient admissions
Program
Interventions
Facilitate referrals into the *St. John’s
Heart Failure Program, which includes phone follow-up by RNs with
monitoring of weight gain, diet, B/P, exercise, and medication
compliance (southwest Missouri)
Provide CHF guidelines
and patient CHF tracking flowsheet to physician officesProvide education materials and reference
tools to physician offices
Provide education materials to members Quarterly reports are sent to each PCP
outlining their patient outcomesAnnual DM symposium with presentations on CHF
provided for physicians
Outcome Measures
Percent of patients with EF < 40% on an ACE
inhibitor and/or ARBNumber of urgent care and ER visitsInpatient admissions/1000
* Heart Failure Management Program: In an
attempt to improve patient compliance with their treatment plan, St.
John’s offers the Heart Failure Management program. This telemanagement
program puts the patient in contact with a registered nurse experienced in
CHF management. The nurse provides the patient with written and verbal
education. The nurse will follow-up with telephone calls to assess
weight, blood pressure, respiratory status, diet and medication
compliance. The patient is also assessed for referral to social service,
nutritional counseling, home health, cardiac rehab, or case management.
If you would like to refer a patient to the Heart Failure
Management program, call (417) 820-3443 or (417) 820-3699.You can
also fax information to (417) 820-7962.
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