%0 Journal Article
%@ 2561-1011
%I JMIR Publications
%V 5
%N 1
%P e29101
%T A Virtual Cardiovascular Care Program for Prevention of Heart Failure Readmissions in a Skilled Nursing Facility Population: Retrospective Analysis
%A Friedman,Daniel M
%A Goldberg,Jana M
%A Molinsky,Rebecca L
%A Hanson,Mark A
%A Castaño,Adam
%A Raza,Syed-Samar
%A Janas,Nodar
%A Celano,Peter
%A Kapoor,Karen
%A Telaraja,Jina
%A Torres,Maria L
%A Jain,Nayan
%A Wessler,Jeffrey D
%+ Heartbeat Health, Inc., 156 W 56th Street, Suite 1000, New York, NY, 10019, United States, 1 866 826 5888, daniel@heartbeathealth.com
%K heart failure
%K readmissions
%K skilled nursing facilities
%K posthospitalization
%K cardiovascular
%K cardiology
%K outcome
%K cost
%K virtual care
%K telehealth
%K telemedicine
%K mobile health
%K mHealth
%K digital health
%D 2021
%7 1.6.2021
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Cardio
%G English
%X Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have 30-day hospital readmission rates as high as 43%. A virtual cardiovascular care program, consisting of patient selection, initial televisit, postconsultation care planning, and follow-up televisits, was developed and delivered by Heartbeat Health, Inc., a cardiovascular digital health company, to 11 SNFs (3510 beds) in New York. The impact of this program on the expected SNF 30-day HF readmission rate is unknown, particularly in the COVID-19 era. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess whether a virtual cardiovascular care program could reduce the 30-day hospital readmission rate for patients with HF discharged to SNF relative to the expected rate for this population. Methods: We performed a retrospective case review of SNF patients who received a virtual cardiology consultation between August 2020 and February 2021. Virtual cardiologists conducted 1 or more telemedicine visit via smartphone, tablet, or laptop for cardiac patients identified by a SNF care team. Postconsult care plans were communicated to SNF clinical staff. Patients included in this analysis had a preceding index admission for HF. Results: We observed lower hospital readmission among patients who received 1 or more virtual consultations compared with the expected readmission rate for both cardiac (3% vs 10%, respectively) and all-cause etiologies (18% vs 27%, respectively) in a population of 3510 patients admitted to SNF. A total of 185/3510 patients (5.27%) received virtual cardiovascular care via the Heartbeat Health program, and 40 patients met study inclusion criteria and were analyzed, with 26 (65%) requiring 1 televisit and 14 (35%) requiring more than 1. Cost savings associated with this reduction in readmissions are estimated to be as high as US $860 per patient. Conclusions: The investigation provides initial evidence for the potential effectiveness and efficiency of virtual and digitally enabled virtual cardiovascular care on 30-day hospital readmissions. Further research is warranted to optimize the use of novel virtual care programs to transform delivery of cardiovascular care to high-risk populations. 
%M 34061037
%R 10.2196/29101
%U https://cardio.jmir.org/2021/1/e29101
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/29101
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34061037