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H2H National Quality Improvement Initiative
The Hospital to Home (H2H) initiative, led by the American College of Cardiology and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is a national quality improvement campaign to reduce cardiovascular-related hospital readmissions and improve the transition from inpatient to outpatient status for individuals hospitalized with cardiovascular disease.
Launched in 2009 with a focus on building awareness and the H2H Community, H2H is now "challenging" practitioners to better understand and tackle readmission problems by trying specific tools and improvement strategies through the H2H Challenge Projects. H2H is offers tool kits, webinars, and surveys to capture and share experiences with others.
Goal: To reduce all-cause readmission rates among patients discharged with heart failure or acute myocardial infarction by 20% by 2012.
Areas for Improvement: Rather than imposing and advocating specific strategies, the H2H project provides a central clearinghouse of information and tools, building on what others are doing and have done to improve care transitions and reduce readmissions. H2H focuses on 3 evidence-based areas for improvement:
1. Early Follow-Up
Does the patient have a follow-up visit scheduled or cardiac rehabilitation referral within 1 week of hospital discharge?
2. Post-discharge Medication Management
Are the caregiver and patient teams working together to ensure optimal medication management?
3. Signs and Symptoms
Is the patient self-activated to recognize and appropriately act on warnings signs and symptoms?
To view the H2H brochure, click here.
To view the H2H FAQ, click here.
Want to participate? Click here to register.
Legislative Practice Visits: Let Them See What the Cardiac Care Team Can Do
The ACC is urging members to join the advocacy effort by hosting a Legislator Practice Visit. These visits provide unique opportunities for federal and state government officials to witness first-hand how the cardiac care team provides patients with quality, cost-efficient care by employing state of the art technology, health care data and professional training through a team approach. These visits are also opportunities to establish and/or building upon personal relationships with policymakers at the state and/or federal level. Contact Elizabeth Ellis at eellis@acc.org for more information or to set up a practice visit.
Mended Hearts
Mended Hearts is a national and community-based non-profit organization that has been offering the gift of hope to heart disease patients, their families and caregivers.
Founded by Dr. Dwight E. Harken, The Mended Hearts was started with three of Dr. Harken's open heart surgery patients. They spoke of their new feeling of well-being, their plans and hopes for the future - and with renewed happiness they spoke of their "mended hearts." They realized how wonderful it would be to provide support and help others facing the same experience. With the assistance of Dr. Harken, they formed an organization, wrote up a charter and planned their membership contacts with the aid of the hospital workers.
Recognized for its role in facilitating a positive patient-care experience, now aligned with the American College of Cardiology, Mended Hearts is celebrating 60 years of service. We have over 300 local chapters and satellites nationwide, and partners with 460 hospitals and rehabilitation clinics. Mended Hearts offers services to heart patients through visiting programs, support group meetings and educational forums.
Learn more about how you can join Mended Hearts, or find other ways you can get involved.
Mended Little Hearts, a program of Mended Hearts, provides hope and support to children, families and caregivers impacted by congenital heart defects in order to extend and improve quality of life. For more information visit www.mendedlittlehearts.org
Community groups located around the nation so that parents, families and caregivers can connect in-person as well as by telephone and Internet.
NC Community Groups
Asheville
Mended Little Hearts of Asheville
Email: AshevilleNC@mendedlittlehearts.org
Contact: Kim Landreth
Tel: 828-768-4623
Durham
Triangle Mended Little Hearts of Durham
Email: DurhamNC@mendedlittlehearts.org
Contact: Robin Wilson
Tel: 919-681-5166
Winston Salem
Mended Little Hearts/The Tinman Club
Email: WinstonSalemNC@mendedlittlehearts.org
Contact: Dawn Shriver
Tel: 336-922-1754
News from RACE Central
The RACE acronym has been modified to encompass our overall mission, “Regional Approach to Cardiovascular Emergencies”. Based upon the input of thousands of participating health care providers across the state, we will expand our model to expedite emergency care to cardiac arrest and stroke victims. This approach embraces existing leadership, institutions and resources to develop coordinated plans of care across every hospitals and emergency medical service. Supported by regional coordinators, ongoing data collection and feedback, regional meetings, state-wide consensus documents, and customized training of health care professionals, our interventions speed diagnosis and treatment. According to this approach, every North Carolinian can receive the best cardiovascular care regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status.
Recently, the Medtronic Foundation HeartRescue project selected North Carolina as one of five states to implement and regional cardiac arrest system, termed RACE-CARS (Cardiac Arrest Regional System). This will not only involve the same partners as the STEMI program, EMS and hospitals, but will also include a community education plan.
The next initiative that begs for a regional system implementation model will be RACE-STROKE. Initial conversations with state partners and physician leadership in neurology and emergency medicine have occurred. This initiative would in no way replace existing work being done at the state and regional level. RACE STROKE will seek to work in tandem and support ongoing efforts and with other organizations with vested interest in the stroke patients. As soon as funding is secured, more information will be posted and communicated directly at state RACE regional meetings.
Reperfusion of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Carolina Emergency Departments
The RACE project is a statewide system for providing rapid artery reperfusion for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Established in 2003, the RACE system incorporates the quality improvement efforts of over 100 hospitals, 700 and emergency systems, and thousands of health care professionals working in a coordinated effort in order to improve timely reperfusion.
The key elements of the system include regional organization and coordination, institution of the single best plan for treatment at every point of care, ongoing measurement, and the establishment of teams of healthcare professionals that span all aspects of STEMI care.
Click here for more information about RACE.
Learn more about CardioSmart and World Heart Day
CardioSmart is a patient education site of the American College of Cardiology. Our mission is to engage, inform, and empower patients to better prepare them for participation in their own care. We are committed to providing visitors to our site with accurate, un-biased information in an advertising-free environment. We hope you enjoy visiting our site and find it a useful extension of your relationship with your cardiologist.
View the CardioSmart brochure
View the Cardiosmart Patient Flyer
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