Care Coordination to Assess Improvement in Outcomes in Hospital Readmissions

Heart failure is a syndrome that is defined by distinctive clinical, hemodynamic, and neurohormonal findings. HF represents a final common pathway for many different cardiovascular diseases, including coronary disease, hypertension, Valvular disease, and many primary heart muscle diseases. Clinically, HF patients experience dyspnea, fatigue and diminished exercise tolerance, reflecting elevated left and/or right ventricular filling pressures and decreased cardiac output.

Heart failure patients are frequently hospitalized and have a high mortality rate and accounts for over 1 million hospital admissions yearly in the U.S. It is associated with a 2-year mortality rate of up to 40% to 50. The annual mortality rate for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) is 21%. ADHF initial hospitalization mortality rates range from 4% to 7%, with mortality as high as 22% in high risk patients. About 30% to 60% of ADHF patients are readmitted within 3-6 months after discharge from the first hospitalization. Inpatient treatment for ADHF consists of diuretics, vasodilators and inotropes. Hospital admissions for ADHF have increased precipitously during the past few decades and are projected to continue to increase in the future. To optimize patient outcomes and reduce the costs associated with this disorder, evidenced-based device and pharmacotherapy is essential. Diuretics, Beta blockers, RAAS blockers and cardiac resynchronization therapy are all useful to some extent in improving outcomes of quality of life and survival. In spite of optimized therapy, there is still relentless progression of disease and clinical exacerbations of fluid retention that precipitates hospital admissions and readmissions increasing poor quality outcomes as well as the cost burden for individual, hospitals, ACOs, payers and society as a whole. There is an urgent need to decrease hospital readmissions in Post Myocardial Infarction patients and subjects with recurrent CHF. This project will use patient empowerment and new technologies to increase QOL of patients as well as to reduce readmissions

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

Men and women over 18 years of age are included. Eligible subjects must be hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ADHF or acute MI. The diagnosis of HF is established by the presence of typical symptoms, signs, and objective evidence of pulmonary congestion, elevated BNP or N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) or impaired cardiac function. Acute MI is diagnosed by presence of chest pain, arm pain, or dyspnea with elevated Troponin and/or EKG changes suggestive of Acute coronary syndrome requiring intervention or optimal medical therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Study informed consent will be obtained before enrollment in the study for Phase 1 and Phase 2
2. All subjects 18 years or above will be a criteria for inclusion for Phase 1
3. For Phase 2, men and women 50 years or older with positive Covid19 antigen test and one other risk factor as mentioned in the comorbid section of workflow will be enrolled in the intervention arm of the study;
4. For phase 2, subjects should be able to be randomized within 48 hours of Covid19 antigen positive status
5. Patients considered unreliable by the investigator concerning the requirements for follow-up visits