ACC names first 35 participating hospitals for Patient Navigator Program

The American College of Cardiology announced the first 35 participating hospitals in the ACC Patient Navigator Program, which will incorporate a team-based approach to care for patients after hospitalization for MI or HF.

According to a press release, the program is the first of its kind in the field of cardiology, and is part of a national effort to reduce unnecessary readmissions. Patrick T. O’Gara, MD, FACC, president of the ACC, said in the release that the program is a collaboration between CV care providers, patients and their families to manage stress due to hospitalization, allowing patients to return and remain home after discharge.

Patrick T. O'Gara

Readmission within 30 days of discharge is common among these patients, occurring in one of five Medicare recipients with MI and one in four with HF. These readmissions can occur for reasons other than the original diagnosis, including stress following from hospitalization, patient fragility at discharge and an ability to understand or fulfill instructions given at discharge, according to the release.

Participating hospitals will begin to implement evidence-based processes to reduce readmissions within this population, following an implementation and assessment period. Possible approaches include follow-up visits at 7 days post-discharge and offering documentation on treatments, prescriptions and available community resources to each patient, according to the release.

“It is an exciting milestone to see all 35 hospitals enrolled in the ACC Patient Navigator Program, because now more patients and caregivers will have access to the support and services provided by the Patient Navigator teams in hospitals across the country,” Gregory F. Keenan, MD, vice president and US head medical officer for AstraZeneca, the founding sponsor of the program, said in the release.