Report signals urgent need to invest in heart failure care

Our latest national report on the state of heart failure (HF) in Canada demonstrates that the30-day readmission rate has not changed in the last decade, despite significant advances in therapy.

Some of the key learnings from this paper included:

1. HF was the most common reason for all-cause 30-day readmission among the HF readmission cohort;
2. Most patients with HF were admitted to general internal medicine (as opposed to cardiology); and
3. The median length of stay (~7 days) has remained unchanged in the past decade.

Based on these findings, the report emphasizes the need to further understand the patient, provider, and system-level barriers to guideline-directed treatment, and the importance of developing targeted strategies to address gaps in care.

“Recognizing that the 30-day readmission rate has not changed in the last decade, we see this as a major need and opportunity for the Canadian Cardiovascular Society to play a significant role in in tackling all facets of this issue,” said Dr. Carolyn Pullen, Chief Executive Officer of the CCS.

Recently, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) published the 2021 CCS/CHFS Heart Failure Guidelines Update and is currently implementing a comprehensive knowledge-to-action (KTA) strategy to address gaps in care.

Importantly, more targeted funding and development of a broader strategy that addresses the barriers to optimal therapies is critical to facilitating improvements in patient outcomes and reducing the 30-day readmission rate.

This is why the CCS has convened a Heart Failure Advocacy Working Group who will steer and steward work in this area. Led by Dr. Robert McKelvie (Chair) and Dr. Stephanie Poon (Vice-Chair), we are confident this work will make a tangible difference to HF patient care across the country.

The Working Group will be advocating for all levels of government to support improvements to HF care across Canada to ensure it is optimal for patients.

Along with this, CCS-led activities will continue in the KTA and national quality reporting space. In addition, the CCS will continue to help raise public awareness as a partner in the annual HF Awareness Week campaigns.

“We are looking forward to keeping CCS members involved in and informed of our efforts to improve HF care quality across the country. By working with all members of the heart team, patients, and decision-makers, I’m confident we will be successful,” said Dr. McKelvie.

Interested in learning more about CCS’s heart failure advocacy? Email healthpolicy@ccs.ca.