According to a research, just one out of every four Medicare enrollees receives cardiac rehab after a heart attack or other heart-related health incident.
Researchers discovered that around 25% of Medicare beneficiaries participate in a cardiac rehab program, according to a study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Only 24% started this process within 21 days after the acute cardiac incident or operation, and only 27% completed all 36 or more cardiac rehab sessions, which have been demonstrated to enhance health results.
Every year, an estimated 1.3 million individuals in the United States have heart disease and may be eligible for cardiac rehab. Patients with heart failure, heart attacks, or those who have undergone a cardiac procedure such as coronary artery bypass surgery have proven that the treatment program improves their health outcomes.
“The low engagement and completion rates noted in this research could possibly enhance health outcomes if 70% of those protected by Medicare who had a heart attack, acute heart event, or surgery took part in cardiac rehab and finished 36 sessions,” lead study author Matthew D. Ritchey, a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, stated “.
Ritchey and his colleagues examined the medical data of nearly 366,000 Medicare patients who were eligible for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation in 2016.
They discovered that, in contrast to the low average engagement numbers, outpatient cardiac rehab involvement declined with age, with only approximately 10% of those 85 and beyond getting the program, compared to 32% of those 65 and 74 years old.
Females had a lower involvement rate than males (about 19 percent vs 29 percent), whereas non-Hispanic whites had the greatest rate of participation (around 26 percent), compared to 16 percent for Asians, 14 percent for non-Hispanic blacks, and 13 percent for Hispanics.
There are “systematic, logistical, and cultural barriers” to participating and successfully completing an outpatient cardiac rehab program, according to the scholars. Some individuals may not be possible to afford rehabilitation because of the charges or the time required to take part in the program versus going back to work and other obligations.
The AHA released a scientific statement in 2019 that outlined the necessity for and advantages of home-based cardiac rehab programs to enhance patient participation and health outcomes, as well as the variety of health, care, and cost advantages that patients may get.
“Cardiac rehab has excellent data proving its lifesaving and life-enhancing effects, and it is covered by Medicare Part B,” Ritchey explained.
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