Heart Disease Clinical Improvement Team Final Report

Heart disease, or cardiovascular disease, includes all of the diseases of the heart and blood vessels. It is the number one cause of death in the United States. The estimated direct and indirect costs associated with cardiovascular disease in the U.S. in 2010 are $503 billion. Indeed the costs of cardiovascular disease continue to climb, even though the death rates for heart disease and stroke have decreased in recent decades.

Heart disease was selected for study by the Puget Sound Health Alliance because of this significant social and economic impact. 

Report Summary

The Alliance's Heart Disease Clinical Improvement Team was composed of physicians and other providers, consumers, employers, and public health and policy experts. The team focused its efforts on cardiovascular disease in adults, specifically targeting coronary artery disease (angina and heart attacks) and heart failure.

The Heart Disease Clinical Improvement Team recommended 23 performance measures, 3 of which were developed by the team. They also recommended strategies for changing the behaviors of providers, patients, employers and health plans to achieve optimal performance on these measures, and for improving the quality of care received by adults with heart disease. In order of priority for implementation, the strategies recommended by the team were:

• Promote an accepted standardized tool for heart disease risk assessment for use by doctors and consumers
• Promote and support the adoption and use of electronic health records or patient registries to clinics throughout the region
• Promote positive behavior change that reduces health risks for people with heart disease
• Collaborate with and endorse the work of others in the region as the literature on improving quality develops, and
• Encourage doctors, clinicians, hospitals and other facilities to improve the coordination when a patient is discharged from a hospital and transitions to the next phase of care, especially for high-risk patients with heart failure.

For each of the above strategies, the team developed specific recommendations and guidance on implementation, which are presented in detail in the body of the final report. An underlying theme of the recommendations is the development of collaborative relationships and partnerships with other local organizations working towards similar goals.

This report, along with the Diabetes Clinical Improvement Team Final Report, was reviewed and endorsed by health care organizations, including medical groups, hospitals, natural medicine providers and many others in the Puget Sound region.

To Order This Report    

Alliance Participants: download this report from the secure Participant-only section of this website.

All Others: contact the Alliance and enter "Heart Disease Clinical Improvement Team Report" in the Comments section of the contact us form.  A .pdf file of this report will be sent via return email.

Other Clinical Improvement Team Reports

• Asthma
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Low Back Pain
• Prescription Drugs
• Prevention

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