Referral, Enrollment, and Delivery of Cardiac Rehabilitation/Secondary Prevention Programs at Clinical Centers and Beyond

E ach year, an estimated 785 000 Americans will suffer a new myocardial infarction (MI; heart attack), and nearly 470 000 will have a recurrent attack. 1 Within 5 years of an initial MI, 15% of men and 22% of women 45 to 64 years of age and 22% of men and women 65 years of age will suffer a recurrent MI or fatal coronary heart disease (CHD). 1 Given this high recurrence rate, preventing secondary cardiac events is an essential part of the care for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).