DALLAS - November 16, 2020 – Heart failure accounts for approximately 900,000 hospitalizations annually, which is nearly two hospitalizations every minute.[1] Over the next ten years, it is estimated that the prevalence of heart failure in the U.S. will increase by 29%, affecting nearly eight million people by 2030.1 A new national heart failure initiative launched by the American Heart Association, the leading global volunteer organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, aims to enhance early identification and optimal treatment of heart failure, along with patient education and engagement, to improve outcomes, including quality of life, for patients.

The national heart failure initiative, supported by founding sponsor Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and national sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Lilly USA, LLC, seeks to increase the healthy time at home for all patients with heart failure and reduce all-cause mortality by 5%. The initiative will utilize the extensive expertise and infrastructure of the American Heart Association, scientific volunteers and the power of consolidated industry financial support to develop concurrent interventions at several key points along the patient care spectrum, including clinical and community touch points. These interventional approaches include:

  • Establish and support a learning healthcare system that utilizes a quality improvement infrastructure to provide real-time feedback to teams to identify key areas for enhancement and evaluate evidence-based approaches, and
  • Develop, implement and evaluate scalable patient empowerment and engagement tools that include personalized technology solutions and improved access to healthcare.

The initiative will use established American Heart Association primary data collection approaches, including the Association’s hospital-based Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure program, to identify, implement and evaluate processes to develop new standards for heart failure patient management. Similarly, the Association will augment existing heart failure patient tools and add needed enhancements identified through previous evaluation efforts.

“This will be a large initiative to include primarily ambulatory patients across the country with varying demographics and types of healthcare systems, aimed at reducing heart failure mortality by improving healthcare quality and providing patient support, ,” said Mariell Jessup, MD, FAHA, cardiologist and chief science and medical officer for the American Heart Association. “Previous findings from our pilots conducted at more than 40 hospitals in three cities found rapid improvement in the percentage of patients receiving optimal heart failure care when compared to non-pilot sites. This national initiative will build upon these previous pilots and data-driven approaches.”

Recent clinical trials have added to a wide range of life-saving therapies for patients with heart failure, resulting in great hope for this often lethal disease., Nevertheless, there remains a wide array of barriers and defects in care experienced by heart failure patients in hospitals, clinics and the primary care setting, quality gaps that will be specifically addressed in this initiative

More than 600 hospitals and 1,000 primary care sites already participate in the American Heart Association quality improvement programs for heart failure and will directly benefit from this new national initiative, which will launch with an initial $15 million in funding.

###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

For Media Inquiries: 214-706-1173

Tracie Bertaut, APR: 504-722-1695, tracie.bertaut@heart.org

For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and stroke.org