Use of telehealth post pandemic can increase access to cardiovascular care and improve efficiency and outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation, according to two studies being presented during ACC's Cardiovascular Summit, taking place Feb. 16-18 in Washington, DC.

Implementation of a standardized telehealth framework can improve access to cardiology care, according to the first study, which featured a large, multi-site cardiovascular practice in Jacksonville, FL. The practice instituted a quality improvement project in June 2022 to implement a single, structured, patient-centered and efficient telehealth service.

Researchers conducted data analysis from March 2020 to December 2022 to investigate the impact of the project over time. From March 18, 2022 to June 25, 2022, the practice averaged 87 telehealth visits per month. From June 27, 2022 to Dec. 30, 2022, following implementation of the structured cardiology telehealth framework, there were 276 telehealth visits per month. Since July 2022, the practice has sustained over 250 telehealth appointments per month.

In all, telehealth visits increased by 217%, demonstrating increased patient access to cardiology providers. "Implementation of a structured cardiology telehealth framework provided an optimal and efficient model," concluded Tala Fanek, FNP-BC. "Qualitative provider results show increased confidence in delivering appropriate, evidence-based virtual care."

The second study explores how a 24 working day ambulatory treatment protocol for complex hybrid cardiac telerehabilitation can improve the physical capacity of cardiovascular disease patients. The protocol, designed by a group of cardiologists, nurses, physiotherapists and other care team members in Warsaw, Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic, included cardiac consultations, ECGs, transthoracic echocardiograms, exercise tests, ECG Holter monitoring, 10 days of ambulatory training, education and psychotherapy, followed by home-based cardiac telemonitored Nordic Walking training.

Looking at 58 ambulatory cardiovascular disease patients referred in 2020 for cardiac rehabilitation, the study found that a significant improvement was seen in functional capacity following the program. According to abstract author Agnieszka Zebrowska, MD, 64% of patients had returned to work in September 2022 compared to only 12% at the beginning of the program.

ACC's Cardiovascular Summit provides an important opportunity for the entire care team to learn how to align strong leadership with effective business strategies to improve cardiovascular care and patient outcomes, along with the latest information on physician compensation, emergence of private equity in cardiovascular practice, subspecialty clinician formation, cardiovascular service line trends, and embedding team-based care into your practice.

Other abstracts presented at the meeting include:

• Implementation of a 72-hour Outpatient Cardiology Follow-up Pathway For Moderate-Risk Chest Pain Patients Presenting to the ED
• Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Health Equity Evaluation of the EVAR Patient's Journey

Stay up to date throughout the conference by using the hashtag #CVSummit and following the ACC on social media.

Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team, COVID-19 Hub

Keywords: CV Summit, Telerehabilitation, Pandemics, COVID-19, Cardiologists, Cardiovascular Diseases, Physical Therapists, Outpatients, Leadership, Follow-Up Studies, Poland, Telemedicine, Cardiology, Psychotherapy, Referral and Consultation, Health Services Accessibility, Nurses, Electrocardiography

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