Participation in a nurse-managed multidisciplinary heart failure clinic reduced total hospital admissions from 38 to 19 and mean inpatient charges from $10,624 to $5893 over 6 months among 15 patients.
Observational (n=15)
No
Does a nurse-managed multidisciplinary outpatient heart failure clinic reduce hospital readmissions and healthcare costs in patients with congestive heart failure?
A nurse-managed multidisciplinary heart failure clinic may reduce hospital admissions and associated healthcare costs for patients with chronic heart failure.
BACKGROUND: One approach to optimize clinical and economic management of congestive heart failure is the use of multidisciplinary outpatient clinics in which advanced practice nurses coordinate care. One such clinic was developed in 1995 at a southeastern university hospital to enhance management of patients with chronic congestive heart failure. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary outpatient heart failure clinic on the clinical and economic management of patients with congestive heart failure. METHODS: Data on hospital readmissions, emergency department visits, length of stay, charges, and reimbursement from the 6 months before 15 patients joined a heart failure clinic were compared with data from the 6 months after the patients joined the clinic. RESULTS: The patients had a total of 38 hospital admissions (151 hospital days) in the 6 months before joining the clinic and 19 admissions (72 hospital days) in the 6 months afterward. The mean length of stay decreased from 4. 3 days in the 6 months before joining to 3. 8 days in the 6 months afterward, and the number of emergency department visits also decreased, although neither decrease was statistically significant. Mean inpatient hospital charges decreased from 10, 624 per patient admission to 5893. Reimbursements were 7751 (73% collection rate) and 5138 (87% collection rate), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients seemed to benefit from participation in the heart failure clinic. If a healthcare provider is available to manage early signs and symptoms of worsening heart failure, hospital readmissions may be decreased and patients' outcomes may be improved.
Sara Paul (Wed,) conducted a observational in chronic congestive heart failure (n=15). multidisciplinary outpatient heart failure clinic vs. 6 months prior to clinic enrollment was evaluated on hospital admissions. Participation in a nurse-managed multidisciplinary heart failure clinic reduced total hospital admissions from 38 to 19 and mean inpatient charges from $10,624 to $5893 over 6 months among 15 patients.
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