Establishing a Heart Failure Program

". . . every critical examination of HF therapy in the United States has documented that we are not using all the weapons in our arsenal. We know what works, yet we are not systematically applying these proven therapies."
—from the Introduction

If you are interested in a better way to treat heart failure, this book is for you. Dr. Michael McIvor – who has taught thousands of healthcare professionals how to effectively care for patients with chronic HF through CME symposia – takes a logical, step-by-step approach to setting up and operating the kind of program that reduces hospital admissions and improves patient care.

Establishing a Heart Failure Program: The Essential Guide answers the different questions posed by physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and hospital administrators, all of whom need to work as a team to achieve success. The three major sections of the book address:

• Taking the first steps toward building your heart failure program - developing a business plan, choosing your model of care, and making accurate financial projections
• Assembling the pieces of your program – managers, front line staff, and the physical facility
• Day-to-day operations

A companion website presents forms you can download and use in your own heart failure center. Drawing from experience, Dr. McIvor helps you avoid common problems by identifying potential problems and sharing advice that has proven effective to your colleagues. He gives you the essential tools – unavailable elsewhere – to set up and maintain a heart failure program that achieves superior clinical outcomes.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

Companion Website xii

1 Is a heart failure program the right choice? 1

2 A formula for the success of your heart failure program 9

Section I Taking the first steps toward building your heart failure program

3 First steps: a business plan for your heart failure program 21

4 First steps: choosing your model of care 33

5 First steps: a global view of the financial projections for your heart failure program 47

6 First steps: a heart failure program pro forma 61

Section II Assembling the pieces of your program

7 Assembling the pieces: the managers of your program 75

8 Assembling the pieces: the front line staff 83

9 Assembling the pieces: the physical facility 89

Section III Day-to-day operations

10 Baseline assessments 95

11 Heart failure clinic follow up visits 111

12 Medical treatment protocols 123

13 Telemanagement algorithms 135

14 Advanced therapies 143

15 Positioning your heart failure program as a center of expertise 149

Index 155

About the author 161

Michael E. McIvor, MD, FACC; Medical Director, St. Petersburg Heart Center; Medical Director, Foundation Research; Director, Heart Failure Program, Bay Pines VA Medical Center.

With the growth of independent heart failure clinics, practitioners and administrators alike are facing a host of new questions. In this unique reference. Dr. Michael McIvor draws on his personal exprience to help you:

• Determine the staffing and physical facilities your program will need
• Delineate management and day-to-day staff responsibilities
• Assemble the financial projections that are critical to a fiscally sound program
• State the goals, scope, and strategies and tactics of your program in a business plan
• Identify clinical and financial benchmarks for measuring success
• Construct telemanagement protocols that match your treatment style
• Develop the treatment algorithms, drug protocols, and standing orders you will need
• Position your program for success in your community

Establishing a Heart Failure Center: The Essential Guide will help you develop a program that will reduce hospitalizations, optimize medical therapy, and enhance patient quality of life.