TAKEheart

AHRQ's Initiative To Increase Use of Cardiac Rehabilitation

The TAKEheart Initiative

AHRQ’s TAKEheart initiative aims to increase the use of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) by eligible patients nationwide. The initiative uses Training, Awareness, Knowledge and Engagement to help hospitals and health systems implement evidence-based strategies to improve CR referral, enrollment, and retention. Explore how TAKEheart is helping over 45 Partner Hospitals and 750 Learning Community participants on their quality improvement journeys.

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The Benefits

Importance of Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation lowers the risk of death and health complications for patients who participate and boosts their chances of returning to an active lifestyle. CR also reduces hospital readmissions.

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The Challenge

Underutilization of Cardiac Rehabilitation

Only 20 percent of Americans who qualify for cardiac rehabilitation participate, even though evidence shows that it saves lives, improves patient health, and reduces healthcare costs. Many factors, including a lack of referrals and barriers to enrollment, contribute to the low participation rate.

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The Opportunity

Evidence-Based Improvement Strategies

Fortunately, several proven strategies exist to increase participation in cardiac rehabilitation. These strategies focus on use of automatic referral and use of an assigned care coordinator to increase patient referral, enrollment, and retention. AHRQ’s TAKEheart initiative is designed to help hospitals implement these strategies.

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COVID-19 Update

In response to COVID-19, the TAKEheart Team adjusted its planned activities, which resumed in May 2021. Learn more about how TAKEheart supported hospitals and their cardiac rehabilitation efforts during the pandemic.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a medically supervised secondary prevention program of education, exercise, training, and psychological support aimed at improving heart health. CR is typically delivered in the outpatient setting. Here is how TAKEheart is helping increase its use: