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CARDIAC REHABILITATION Cardiac rehabilitation assumes great importance in the overall care of a heart patient, especially because cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. The U.S. Public Health Service defines cardiac rehabilitation as "comprehensive, long -term programs involving medical evaluation, prescribed exercise, cardiac risk factor modification, education and counseling". The most substantial benefits include:
Details of Phase I, II, and III ACS offers all our eligible patients a multifactorial, carefully customized and personalized cardiac rehab program (Phase I, II, III). Phase I is initiated in the hospital and continued throughout the hospital stay. Its primary goal is to deter the negative effects of bedrest and introduce lifestyle changes in order to minimize the chances of future cardiovascular complications. This phase is covered by Medicare and most other major insurance carriers. Phase II is typically started soon after discharge from the hospital. Patients who have undergone coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, myocardial infarction ("heart attack") or those who are diagnosed to have stable angina, can all be referred to the Phase II cardiac rehab program by their physician. Certain patients with stable congestive heart failure can also enter this phase of the program. Phase II typically lasts for 36 visits (three times a week for 12 weeks). However, the program is flexible in accommodating the patient’s schedule. To get started, a patient must have a physician’s order and a low-level exercise (treadmill) test. The exercise test is to assist the rehab staff in personalizing an exercise regimen for the patient and to ensure that the patient can tolerate a certain level of exercise without complications. Phase II cardiac rehab is reimbursed through Medicare (for heart attacks, stable angina and bypass surgery) and most other major insurance carriers. Throughout the Phase II rehab phase, the patient’s EKG is monitored (telemetry) on a weekly basis. If a patient is considered "high risk", they may be monitored during each visit. The monitored report is evaluated by the physician for progress and for possible abnormalities. Phase II is always carried out with a physician present on the premises. The referring physician is also notified immediately, if any complications should arise. On completion of Phase II of rehab, the referring physician and the patient receive a "progress report card": it shows a comparison of several parameters at baseline and at the end of 36 sessions of rehab. This information includes the body weight, heart rate, blood pressure, exercise capacity, cholesterol level, and blood oxygen saturation. This allows the physician and the patient to jointly evaluate the beneficial effects of the rehab program and lifestyle modification, in a very tangible manner. Phase III is a maintenance program. Patients completing Phase II may opt to enroll in Phase III for continued supervision. Phase III is also available to those with a high risk for future cardiac events. Those with diabetes, hypertension, obesity or high cholesterol, especially benefit from continued exercise and lifestyle modification. Telemetry monitoring is available for Phase III participants, but is not typically necessary in this population. Enrollment into Phase III does not require a physician’s referral. However, it does require a physician’s approval. Phase III cardiac rehab is a private pay service. Currently, the charge for Phase III of cardiac rehab is $2.50 per visit.
What The Data Shows: The ACS Patient Experience Based on our experience at ACS, we present data at premier national and international forums which shows that carefully supervised cardiac rehabilitation consistently improves objective measures of exercise tolerance, decreases morbidity and the need for re-hospitalization, and decreases resource consumption, without significant cardiovascular complications. These presentations to date have included:
Information for Referring Physicians & Patients ACS offers cardiac rehabilitation programs at five different locations: Apache Junction, Gilbert, Goodyear, Payson and Phoenix. If you are a physician and are interested in obtaining additional information on the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, or if you have a patient who you would like to refer to the program, please contact us at (480) 926-6990, or e-mail us at bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com. If you are a patient and would like more information regarding the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, please contact us at (480) 926-6990, or at 1 (800) 73 PULSE, or e-mail us at bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com. ACS offers graduate and non-graduate
internships in cardiac rehabilitation.
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