The Mitral Regurgitation (MR) Referral Toolkit is the newest offering from the Emerging Mitral Regurgitation Clinical Care (EMC2) initiative. Along with its sister initiative, Managing Aortic Stenosis, it was launched to improve valvular care through appropriate diagnosis, referral and treatment, particularly with the introduction of new valve technologies.

“The MR Referral Toolkit is a graphic presentation of the clinical pathway from echocardiography-based diagnosis to treatment,” says Vinay Badhwar, MD, FACC. This was created to bring clarity to the evidence-based guideline and help primary care physicians and cardiovascular specialists understand how to implement the recommendations within their clinical practice and help their patients.

The toolkit consists of a comprehensive treatment algorithm and interactive MR referral worksheets, including patient case summary, MR treatment and referral decision, clinical next steps, referral packet checklist, and a packet for building MR referral into the electronic health record.

An expert panel led by Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, MACC, Paul Grayburn, MD, FACC, and Badhwar have developed two contributions to help interpret the evidence-based guideline management of MR. The writing committee has developed the 2017 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Management of Mitral Regurgitation that will be published later this year. The MR Referral Toolkit was developed by members of the writing committee along with allied health professionals, and patient representatives.

Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine, Algorithms, Aortic Valve Stenosis, Consensus, Critical Pathways, Disease Management, Echocardiography, Electronic Health Records, Mitral Valve Insufficiency, Patient Advocacy, Referral and Consultation