Abstract
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
ABCS (aspirin for those at risk, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation), ACC (American College of Cardiology), AHA (American Heart Association), CABG (coronary artery bypass graft), CR (cardiac rehabilitation), MI (myocardial infarction), PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention)Million Hearts website. http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/. Accessed October 10, 2016.
42 CFR Parts 510 and 512. Medicare program; advancing care coordination through episode payment models (EPMS); cardiac rehabilitation incentive payment model; and changes to the comprehensive care for joint replacement model (CJR); proposed rule.
- Smith Jr., S.C.
- Benjamin E.J.
- Bonow R.O.
- et al.
Background
Potential Impact
National Center for Health Statistics. Number of all-listed procedures for discharges from short-stay hospitals, by procedure category and age: United States, 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhds/4procedures/2010pro4_numberprocedureage.pdf. Accessed October 31, 2016.
Improving CR Referral
Strategy | Brief description | Outcome | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
Automatic in-patient CR referral system | CR referral is carried out as an automatic EMR order for all eligible patients | CR referral was 70% (compared with 32% for usual care); enrollment was 61% (compared with 29% for usual care) | 38 |
Inpatient “liaison” to help educate and refer patients to out-patient CR | A liaison or “coach” meets with inpatients who are eligible for CR, educating and guiding them in the CR enrollment process | CR referral was 59% (compared with 32% for usual care); enrollment was 51% (compared with 29% for usual care) | 38 |
Combination of automatic CR referral system and “liaison” | Combination of the 2 strategies listed above | CR referral was 85% (compared with 32% for usual care); enrollment was 74% (compared with 29% for usual care) | 38 |
Limit or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses to patients for CR services | Negotiate with insurance companies to limit or eliminate co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses for patients enrolled in CR | Studies of preventive medication adherence suggest that reducing or eliminating co-payments improves utilization and adherence | 39 , 40 |
Inclusion of home-based CR option for patients who are not able to attend a center-based CR program | Protocol-driven, nurse-managed home-based approaches to CR delivery provide CR services to patients at home for low- to moderate-risk patients | Outcomes are similar and participation rates may be higher in home-based CR programs compared with center-based CR programs | 41 |
Flexible hours of operation | Increased flexibility of CR center hours to include early morning, noontime, after work, and weekend hours | 10% Improvement in enrollment and participation; will require creative staff scheduling to avoid increasing costs of program delivery | 4 |
Early outpatient appointment established before hospital discharge | Inpatient staff members work and EMR set up an outpatient CR enrollment appointment for each eligible patient within 12 days of hospital discharge | 20%-25% Improvement in CR enrollment | 42 |
Use of CR referral performance measures in a quality improvement system | CR referral is assessed, reported, and acted upon in a systematic quality improvement program | CR referral rates improved by 12.5% over 5 years in centers participating in a quality improvement program | 43 |

- Thomas R.J.
- King M.
- Lui K.
- Oldridge N.
- Piña I.L.
- Spertus J.
Improving CR Enrollment
Increasing Adherence to CR
Strategy/factor | Brief description | Outcome | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
Incorporate motivational and financial incentives. Introductory video | Rewards (shirts with program logo or similar items) based on session attendance. Video to describe CR program and impact on health outcomes. Video shown before hospital discharge or at beginning of outpatient CR | Improved program completion rates | 46 , 47 |
Change program procedures to recommend 36 visits for all patients | Provide 36 visits using a 2-visit vs 3-visit per week schedule | Observed increase in number of attended visits per patient | 46 , 47 , 48 |
Modify program structure to accommodate more total patients and more patients per day. Align frequency of visits to clinical status and patient preferences | Incorporate group orientations; develop hybrid model of home-based and facility-based program that includes key components of CR; shift from class structure to open-gym model; minimize (de-emphasize) frequency/use of ECG telemetry monitoring | Improved cost efficiency of delivery | 41 , 49 , 50 |
Gender-tailored delivery of CR | Women-only CR = traditional CR + structured behavioral learning strategies on decision balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change | Attendance to women-only classes was 90%, compared with 77% in women undergoing traditional CR only | 51 |
Text messaging | Use TM for appointment reminders and to augment classroom education; participation in TM should be voluntary; limit to 3-5 texts per week | Program completion rates were higher with SMS messaging; number of sessions attended was 20% greater with use of TM | 52 |
Establish philanthropic fund to partly underwrite CR costs for patients with high co-payments or without insurance | Annual appeal letter to CR “graduates” (and past fund contributors) asking for contributions; emphasize the purpose to help others with limited resources | Return rates (with contributions) to direct mail solicitation as high as 7% | 53 |
Altering program structure and design | Programs in the Wisconsin CR registry were surveyed and analyzed for factors that improve adherence | Factors that influenced adherence included adequate space and equipment, medical director on site >15 min/wk, assessment of patient satisfaction, individual/group diet counseling, relaxation training, group education, and group psychological counseling | 54 |
Use of motivational letter | Intervention letter based on theory of planned behavior; targeted attitude toward best recovery, assistance with control and choices, and importance of following recommendations | Attendance rates for the intervention group were substantially higher than those for the control group | 55 |
Instituting System-Based Approaches
- Smith Jr., S.C.
- Benjamin E.J.
- Bonow R.O.
- et al.
- Fletcher G.F.
- Ades P.A.
- Kligfield P.
- et al.
Exercise standards for testing and training: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
Implementation and Practical Considerations
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Million Hearts website. http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/. Accessed October 10, 2016.
Supplemental Online Material
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Article info
Publication history
Footnotes
Grant Support: This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence award P20GM103644 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P.A.A., D.S.S.).
Potential Competing Interests: Dr Keteyian reports personal fees from NimbleHeart, Inc, unrelated to the submitted work. Ms Lui reports that GRQ, LLC, represents the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation regarding regulatory and legislative issues that affect cardiac rehabilitation.