Capitol Hill Briefing on Heart Failure Spotlights Innovative Approaches to Wellness

In a Capitol Hill briefing on heart failure, experts from three Healthcare Leadership Council member companies provided expertise and insightful perspectives on a disease that continues to be costly and life threatening to seniors.

Robert Hilkert, M.D., of Novartis discussed the high morbidity rate of heart failure and the fact that one in four patients are readmitted to hospitals within 30 days of being discharged.  Karen Babos, D.O., of Walgreens provided information regarding adherence programs offered by the nation’s leading pharmacy company.  She cited impressive results that showed a three percent increase in medication adherence leads to three percent lower overall healthcare costs.  Kristin Vickers-Douglas, Ph.D., from Mayo Clinic, focused factors that lead to poor adherence.  Although literacy and education are popular scapegoats, depression and social support play a major role in medication adherence as well.

During the question and answer portion of the briefing it was made clear that, only by encouraging innovations that streamline care coordination and better connect patients with health resources, can diseases like heart failure be dealt with on a large scale.

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