The heart of the matter

Team approach helps heart failure patients

Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States, with five million Americans suffering from the disease and 550,000 more diagnosed each year. Because 250,000 victims die annually and many more suffer debilitating symptoms, heart failure patients are in need of comprehensive, specialized care to help maintain quality of life.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center recently introduced its Heart Failure Evaluation and Management Program to help patients manage the disease in a specialized outpatient program. The program’s team is made up of healthcare providers who specialize in heart failure and combines an arsenal of the latest treatment options, including prescription drug therapy, electromechanical device therapies (pacemaker-like devices specifically designed for heart failure patients), catheterization and surgery.
The team approach is key: Studies show that patients enrolled in specialized heart failure programs have better outcomes—including improved quality of life and fewer hospital days—than those receiving standard care. The cardiologist focuses on diagnostic and treatment strategies; a physician assistant specializing in heart failure coordinates care with in-depth patient education, medication optimization and assessing the needs of the patient as a whole person.

Patients entering the program receive a comprehensive evaluation and advanced testing to help determine the cause of heart failure. Test results are used to create a customized care plan. Each patient then receives comprehensive education about diet, medication compliance, alcohol abstinence, smoking cessation and other lifestyle choices.
“This collaborative program has allowed Deborah to combine the multiple disciplines involved in the treatment of heart failure,” says Augustine Agocha, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Deborah’s heart failure program. “The use of specialized physician assistants gives the patient additional benefits: improved access to our services and more time during a visit to ask questions and speak with practitioners who have heart failure expertise.”