A national policy to assist patients with heart failure after their release from hospital could reduce hospital re-admissions and save the health budget millions of dollars, according to a paper by cardiovascular experts published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The call for a national policy follows a study of more than 900 patients with heart failure across the country, which showed differences in early re-admission rates after hospitalisation for heart failure could be primarily explained by differences in their post-discharge management.

The study, which looked at heart failure patients at 30 and 90 days following discharge from hospital, found some patients attended nurse-led disease management programs, exercise programs, and/or were reviewed by health professionals whilst others had no follow-up.

Lead author and Director of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne and Adjunct Professor at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Professor Tom Marwick, said the study found disease management programs and review to be the most effective for reducing the number of hospital re-admissions within 30 days of discharge.

The paper revealed the diverse and in some cases, sub-optimal approach to post-management of heart failure patients by some hospitals, which could leave patients vulnerable to re-admission.  

Professor Marwick said heart attack in middle age was now being overtaken by the new epidemics of heart disease like heart failure, which is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation and one of the most costly diagnoses in the Australian health system.

In Australia, about 30,000 people are diagnosed with heart failure each year, and the annual costs for heart failure re-admissions exceed $1 billion.

Professor Marwick said better outcomes for heart failure patients and major costs savings could be achieved by adopting a national policy to assist patients after a hospital stay.

“This study shows a strategic approach to the management of heart failure patients after they leave hospital could enhance their outcomes and reduce hospital costs,” he said.

“This paper supports the call by the National Heart Foundation for a systematic approach to chronic heart failure based on a uniform model of care.”

Professor Marwick said other countries such as the United States had implemented rigorous strategies to tackle this problem, with US hospitals financially penalised if they have higher than expected 30-day re-admission rates for heart failure under the Affordable Care Act.

What is heart failure? Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to keep up with pumping sufficient blood to keep up with the demands of the body. When this is due to heart attack, the heart failure can occur suddenly.

For further information or to organise interviews please contact:

Released from the Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute:

Tracey Ellis
T: 03 8532 1514
M: 0433 781 972
E: tracey.ellis@baker.edu.au

Contact: Tracey Ellis

Phone: 0433 781 972

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