Here’s an alarming statistic for you: An estimated 935,000 Americans will experience a coronary event and, for over 30%, the second one is likely to be fatal. UR FIRST Home Health is known for providing home health services in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it is our duty to give you hope in these seemingly hopeless scenarios.
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation or CR is a procedure that helps prevent a future cardiac event from coming to fruition. It helps accomplish this by slowing, stabilizing, and even reversing the progression of cardiovascular diseases. The CR program greatly benefits patients suffering from cardiovascular disease, like heart failure and valve repair, because of the exercise element integrated into the program.
In a nutshell, cardiac rehabilitation consists of the following:
- Exercise training
- Patient education on adapting a heart-healthy lifestyle
- Counseling for stress reduction
CR is a multifaceted and patient-centered approach towards optimal physical, social, and mental health for individuals with heart-related issues. You would think that with all these tangible advantages offered by CR, patients and their healthcare specialists would be jumping at the chance to experience this life-altering opportunity. Instead, however, the statistics give you somewhat of a contrasting view of cardiac rehabilitation, with fewer than 1 in 5 eligible patients participating in the program, and less than 13% utilization rate among Medicare beneficiaries. These are all incredibly shocking and worrisome statistics given the many times research has proven CR to reduce mortality by more than 50% for those who participate in the program. On top of that, there was also a 25% decline in hospital readmissions and medical resources usage for those who participated.
UR FIRST Home Health is a home health agency in Nevada that aims to give our communities a clearer picture of why there is a shockingly low participation for CR despite its potentially life-saving benefits.
- No strong endorsement from the patient’s doctor
- Incredibly limited to a complete absence of health insurance coverage
- Program is not readily available or accessible
- Can create conflict between work or home responsibilities
As a forward-moving healthcare company, we are committed to bridging the gaps in our current healthcare system, particularly those that concern patient barriers and more cost-effective measures to fill the treatment gap between CR benefits and patient participation.
What are your thoughts on the abysmal 12% cardiac rehabilitation utilization rate for eligible Medicare beneficiaries? Please feel free to write them in the comment section below.
