Renown Institute for Heart & Vascular Health was selected as one of only 35 hospitals nationwide to pioneer a team approach that will help keep patients healthy and at home following hospital admission for heart attack or heart failure.
The selected hospitals from across the country are the first participants in the American College of Cardiology’s Patient Navigator Program, which is the first of its kind in heart care and supports national efforts to reduce unnecessary patient readmissions.
“We are thrilled to be part of the select group of hospitals across the country that will help shape best practice guidelines to care for patients after a heart attack,” said Dan Caldwell, chief operating officer of Renown Institute for Heart & Vascular Health.
“We already have several programs in place to help support a smooth transition home for patients. We are excited to share initiatives that have proven successful and benefited patients locally, as well as hear from other national leading heart programs,” Caldwell stated.
Nearly one in five patients hospitalized with heart attack and one in four patients hospitalized with heart failure are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, often for conditions seemingly unrelated to their original diagnosis.
Readmissions can be related to issues ranging from the stresses of the initial hospitalization, to a lack of understanding of discharge instructions, and the inability to carry out discharge instructions.
“The Patient Navigator Program is a unique collaboration between the cardiovascular care team, patients and families to manage the stress of hospitalization for complex conditions in a way that allows patients to return home, remain healthy and avoid the need for readmission whenever possible,” said ACC President Patrick T. O’Gara, M.D., FACC.
Hospitals in the Patient Navigator Program will implement a variety of evidence-based processes to help patients avoid readmissions. Successful models that result from the pilot program will be implemented in other hospitals as the initiative grows. AstraZeneca is the founding sponsor of the ACC Patient Navigator Program.
Hospitals were selected based on their dedication to quality such as participation in the Hospital to Home Initiative and National Cardiovascular Data Registry ACTION Registry-GWTG. Renown was specifically selected because of its existing infrastructure to support patients after admission to the hospital and a demonstrated commitment from physicians and nurses to support patients for a successful transition home.
The only Nevada hospital to be selected, Renown joins other nationally recognized heart programs including Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute in Nashville, Tenn., Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Ill.
The Patient Navigator Program care team at Renown includes board-certified heart specialists, specially trained nurse navigators available for support 24/7, expert heart care nurses, cardiac rehab specialists, nutritionists, social workers, case managers, home health and skilled nursing nurses, as well as pharmacists. Together, the care team provides support and guidance throughout the patient’s recovery to help prevent avoidable readmissions and ensure the best possible outcomes.
Renown Health is a locally owned, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving a 17-county region comprised of northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. Renown is one of the region’s largest private employers with a workforce of more than 5,400 members. It comprises three acute care hospitals, a rehabilitation hospital, skilled nursing facility, the area’s most comprehensive medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest and only locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown has a long tradition of being the first in the region to successfully perform leading-edge medical procedures. For more information, visit renown.org.
Renown Institute for Heart & Vascular Health offers 18 board certified heart specialists with more than 350 years of combined experience. The Institute offers more than 30 years of recognition as the region’s leader in heart and vascular care. It is home to two accredited, state-of-the-art Chest Pain Centers, as well as the first accredited Heart Failure Center in northern Nevada. Renown is also the first and only hospital in Nevada to be accredited by the American Heart Association as a Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation. For more information, visit renown.org/heart.
The American College of Cardiology is a 47,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit cardiosource.org/ACC.
