On June 15, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), of the Senate Committee on Finance, introduced legislation (S.1361) to allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac, intensive cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, increasing patient accessibility to these services. The ACC has been working closely with the American Heart Association to usher this legislation through the House and Senate.

"As the burden of cardiovascular disease continues to rise, cardiac rehabilitation remains critical to heart failure management and successful recovery from heart attacks and cardiac surgery. Current health care policy requires physicians to supervise cardiac rehabilitation services, which can create limitations to access for millions of patients, adversely impacting population health outcomes. The passage of S. 1361 would remove barriers by allowing all providers to practice to the highest level of their education, training and certification," said Linda L. Hart, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC, AACC. "We're grateful to Senate leadership for introducing S. 1361 and encourage commitment to this legislation that will allow patients across the nation to more easily access high-quality cardiovascular care."

Keywords: Cardiac Rehabilitation, Heart Failure, Myocardial Infarction, Nurse Clinicians, Physician Assistants, United States

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