Coordinating the Medical Home for Heart Failure Patients; Transitioning to Palliative Care
Adjusting Locus of Care and Focusing on Integrated Medicine Sheds Light on Best Practices and Patient-Centered Care in Heart Failure Clinics
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) will feature a discussion titled "Designing the Medical Home for Heart Failure Patients." Contributors Dr. Mary Norine Walsh and Dr. Larry A. Allen will describe treatment and care strategies in the medical home model and how they impact both patients and caregivers.
Dr. Mary Norine Walsh, Medical Director of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation at St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana will discuss "Interactions with Other Specialists: Coordinating the Medical Home from the Heart Failure Clinic." The Medical Home is an approach to providing comprehensive care that facilitates partnerships between patients and their health care provider. On an individual level, the Medical Home traditionally rests on the relationship between a patient and his or her primary physician. In her talk, Dr. Walsh will discuss the benefits of shifting the locus of the Medical Home from the primary care physician to the cardiology specialist for heart failure patients.
"Especially for patients with advanced stage heart failure, coordinating the Medical Home from the heart failure clinic or cardiology specialist can add value to the care the patient receives," said Dr. Walsh. "This model of care delivery presents care continuity that is both comprehensive and approachable for heart failure patients. I expect we'll see more health care providers adopt this model in the future."
Dr. Larry A. Allen, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor at University of Colorado will address "End of Life: Transition to Palliative Care." Palliative care focuses on improving overall quality of life for patients with serious or terminal illness, frequently centers around pain and symptom management and can take place in traditional health care facilities or in specialized centers or hospices. In his presentation, Dr. Allen will discuss the unique nature of caring for heart failure patients, and the need for comprehensive, integrated care, including patient education, psychosocial care, and decision planning.
"Working with the patient to manage expectations, make long-term decisions, and realize medical needs allows us to achieve our ultimate goal of improving quality of life," said Dr. Allen. "Heart failure is a highly symptomatic, case-by-case disease. Its variable nature makes the transition to palliative care difficult, but incredibly important."
For a complete list of annual meeting sessions or for details on attending the conference, call (617) 226-7183 or visit www.hfsa.org and click on Annual Scientific Meeting. There is no registration fee for accredited journalists. Interview areas will be available on-site in addition to a fully-staffed press room with phone and internet accessibility. You may follow news from the meeting on Twitter #HFSA
About Heart Failure
Heart failure is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened after it is injured, most commonly from heart attack or high blood pressure, and gradually loses its ability to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs. Many people are not aware they have heart failure because the symptoms are often mistaken for signs of getting older. Heart failure affects from 4.6 to 4.8 million individuals in the United States. Demographic and clinical evidence strongly suggests that the prevalence of heart failure will increase throughout the next decade. Ten to 15 years ago heart failure was considered a "death sentence;" however, recent advances in treatment have shown that early diagnosis and proper care in early stages of the condition are key to slowing, stopping or in some cases reversing progression, improving quality of life, and extending life expectancy. For more information on heart failure, please visit www.abouthf.org.
About the Heart Failure Society of America
The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) is a nonprofit educational organization, founded in 1994 as the first organized association of heart failure experts. The HFSA provides a forum for all those interested in heart function, heart failure research and patient care. The Society also serves as a resource for governmental agencies (FDA, NIH, NHLBI, CMS). The HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting is designed to highlight recent advances in the development of strategies to address the complex epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic issues of heart failure. Additional information on HFSA can be found at www.hfsa.org.
SOURCE The Heart Failure Society of America
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