Heart Failure

Success Stories

Health Catalyst

New Initiative Supports Cardiac Patients on a Better Path to Health

With nearly one in four Medicare patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) being readmitted to hospitals within 30 days of discharge, healthcare organizations like MultiCare are primed to develop care improvement initiatives focused on reducing readmissions. MultiCare has had a HF collaborative for several years, focused on standardizing and increasing the quality of care for its cardiac patients—resulting in a 24 percent improvement in HF readmission rates and an 18 percent improvement in mortality rates. With this proven commitment to its patients, MultiCare was selected for participation in the American College of Cardiology’s Patient Navigator program, opening up the opportunity to provide cardiac patients with an advocate dedicated to helping patients navigate their pathway to improvement. Through participation in this patient navigator program, MultiCare has ability to further bring the patient’s voice to the forefront and improve its quality of cardiac care even more dramatically in the future.

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Health Catalyst

How to Reduce Heart Failure Readmission Rates: One Hospital’s Story

An estimated 24 percent of patients who are discharged with heart failure (HF) are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Learn how this healthcare organization engaged physicians and multidisciplinary teams to improve their outcomes. Deploying evidence best practices—medication reconciliation, follow-up appointments, follow-up phone calls and teach back—they reduced and sustained their 30-day HF readmission rates by 29 percent, and their 90-day HF readmissions by 14 percent. They have seen their process measures increase significantly: 120 percent increase in follow-up appointments; 78 percent increase in pharmacist medication reconciliation; 87 percent increase in follow-up phone calls; 84 percent increase in teach-back interventions.

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Health Catalyst

Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program for Heart Failure: A Healthcare System Case Study

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is tying reimbursement to hospital readmissions. Healthcare systems are investigating hospital readmissions reduction programs to improve patient outcomes and avoid CMS penalties. Learn how this healthcare system, determined to improve heart failure care for its patients, increased their documented follow-up appointments by 270 percent.

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