Virtual Cardiology Program Cuts Cardiac Hospital Readmissions by More Than Half, Study Finds

Heartbeat Health's virtual cardiology program integrates remote monitoring, personalized care, and advanced technology to improve patient outcomes

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A prospective randomized study published in BMJ Innovations found that Heartbeat Health's virtual-first cardiology program, when implemented after hospital discharge, significantly reduced cardiovascular readmissions and improved key health outcomes compared to standard care alone. This is one of only a few studies to evaluate the efficacy of virtual care programs in a population of recently discharged patients with any cardiovascular disease.

This study evaluated the impact of Heartbeat Health's 100-day post-discharge virtual cardiology program, which integrates virtual visits, remote patient monitoring, medication adjustments, and care coordination. Compared to standard care alone, the intervention group demonstrated a 53% reduction in cardiac readmissions (8.4% vs 17.9%, p = 0.04) and a 44% reduction in all-cause readmissions (15.8% vs 28.4%, p = 0.02) within 90 days post-discharge.

"The need for meaningful cardiovascular disease prevention and management advancements in the U.S. is dire," said Jana Goldberg, MD, chief medical officer for Heartbeat Health. "The findings from this study demonstrate that using innovative care pathways, when tailored to individual's needs, can improve access and clinical outcomes for high-risk populations, potentially reducing cost for an overburdened health care system."

Heart failure remains a significant and growing public health challenge in the U.S., affecting more than six million adults and contributing to over one million hospitalizations annually. Despite advancements in treatment, nearly 25% of Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Transitional post-hospitalization care interventions are being explored to reduce readmissions and mortality in patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

The program's impact extends beyond readmission reductions, with participants achieving measurable improvements across health metrics. Intervention patients experienced an average weight loss of 4.5 pounds, reduced systolic pressure (-11 mmHg) and improvements in shortness of breath and quality of life.

In order to achieve these outcomes, Heartbeat Health's virtual cardiology program was built on three key components: virtual visits to adjust guideline directed medical therapy, remote patient monitoring, and care coordination. The team used cardiologists and advanced practitioners to perform protocol-driven management, adjusting medications, incorporating vital signs from home into management decisions, educating patients on their medications and disease, and used a team of care coordinators ("Heart Heroes") to orchestrate testing.

The study enrolled 190 patients, 69 years of age on average. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group and half to the control group. Control patients were matched 1:1 to the intervention patients and monitored for 15 months, maintaining usual care with their cardiologist and primary care provider. Intervention patients with low engagement and late post-discharge onboarding were excluded from analysis.

"These data provide substantial evidence that virtual care is not just a convenience, but a path to better care," said Jeff Wessler, MD, CEO and founder of Heartbeat Health. "By advancing virtual-first cardiology, we can usher in the next era of innovation in cardiovascular disease management, reducing health care costs, promoting equitable care solutions and improving patients' lives."

The full study, published in The BMJ Journals, is available here.

About Heartbeat Health
Heartbeat delivers virtual-first cardiovascular disease prevention and management with a focus on improved clinical experience, health outcomes, and reduced cost. Through its industry-leading and highly accessible clinical services, Heartbeat helps patients and at-risk organizations benefit from higher value care by reducing cardiovascular risk and the likelihood for future adverse events. Heartbeat clinicians provide diagnostic testing and telehealth across all 50 states to deliver 24/7, on-demand cardiovascular care.  The Company is headquartered in New York City.

Virtual-First Cardiology has arrived. Learn more at heartbeathealth.com.

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SOURCE Heartbeat Health