Managing Heart Failure at WMHS

Heart Failure is a term that describes a weakness in the pumping action of the heart. It does not mean that the heart has stopped working. Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart's muscle becomes weakened after it is injured from something like a heart attack or high blood pressure and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs. Many people don't even know they have it because its symptoms are often mistaken for signs of getting older. Heart failure does not develop overnight. It’s a progressive disease that starts slowly and gets worse over time.

Heart Failure affects nearly 5 million Americans and an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. The number of deaths in the U.S. has more than doubled since 1979, averaging 250,000 annually. It is the only major cardiovascular disease on the rise, in part, due to more people surviving heart attacks, but left with weakened hearts. In comparison, the death rate from coronary heart disease has dropped by 49% over a similar time period. An estimated $8-15 billion is spent each year on the costs of hospitalization due to heart failure, which is twice the amount spent for all forms of cancer.

During the 2006 fiscal year, the Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) evaluated more than 800 patients for heart failure. When a patient with heart failure is admitted to the hospital, the Heart Failure Care Managers on both campuses ensure that clinical management guidelines for heart failure are followed and reinforced. These guidelines have been established by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Care Managers work with nursing staff, physicians and other departments to identify heart failure patients and provide educational materials that include information on medications, diet, and specific management strategies that patients can incorporate into their daily routines at home. These management strategies include: daily weight monitoring to help determine fluid retention; following a low or no salt diet; scheduling and keeping follow-up appointments with physicians; taking medications as ordered; and addressing symptoms when they worsen. Smoking cessation information is also provided to those who have smoked cigarettes within 12 months prior to admission to the hospital.

This unique Heart Failure Care Management Program, which is a partnership between physicians, nurses, and Heart Failure Care Managers, has helped to place WMHS above the targeted compliance levels for heart failure management that have been established by national healthcare regulatory agencies.

The American Heart Association has designated February as American Heart Month and the week of February 11 through 17 is recognized as Heart Failure Awareness Week by the Heart Failure Society of America.