Efforts to decrease hospital readmissions among heart failure patients have been largely focused on nurse-led post discharge interventions that monitor for clinical deterioration and provide education to improve dietary and medication compliance. Although studies have shown that significant reductions (up to 32%) in readmitted patients can be achieved through these interventions, the cost per patient is very high ($304 to $719)[1] and they do not address the broader need of the psychosocial aspects of the condition. Perhaps most important, none allow for reimbursement.
The CareConnext solution is based on multidisciplinary group clinic appointments designed and tested in a five-year random clinical trial (RCT) at Kansas University Medical Center.[2] Multidisciplinary group clinic appointments were associated with longer hospitalization-free survival, greater adherence to beta blockers and ace inhibitors, and decreased depression. The results of the RCT showed a 34% reduction in heart failure readmissions. A two-year pilot test of CareConnext with The University of Kansas Hospital, Turning Point, and Mid America Cardiology served as a commercial proof of concept and, most important, successfully validated the outcomes of the RCT.
CareConnext is a signature part of The University of Kansas Hospital’s application to the Joint Commission to accredit its Heart Failure program.
[1] Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, Do heart failure disease management programs make financial sense under a bundled payment system?
[2] Circulation; Multidisciplinary Group Clinic Appointments; DOI: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.113.001246