The AHA Guidelines and Scientific Statements Handbook

Chapter 4 Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Programs

Performance Measure B-3j: Communication
with healthcare providers
There is a policy in place to ensure communication with
healthcare providers, including individual patient status
related to each modifi able risk factor at entrance to and
completion of the cardiac rehabilitation/secondary preven-
tion (CR) program, as well as when thresholds are met for
more frequent or urgent communication concerning subop-
timal risk factor control.

Performance Measure B-4: Monitor response to
therapy and document program effectiveness
For each cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention (CR)
program in a healthcare system, a written policy is in place to:

1 Document the percentage of patients for whom the CR
program has received a formal referral request who actually
enroll in the program.
2 Document for each patient a standardized plan to assess
completion of the prescribed course of CR as defi ned on
entrance to the program.

3 Document for each patient a standardized plan to assess

outcome measurements at the initiation and again at the

completion of CR, including at least one outcome measure

for the core program components as outlined in the Cardiac

Rehabilitation/Secondary Prevention Performance Measure

Set B, Performance Measure 3.

4 Describe the program’s methodology to document

program effectiveness and initiate quality improvement

strategies.

References available online at http://www.Wiley.com/go/

AHAGuidelineHandbook.

During the production of this book this relevant

AHA statement and guideline was published: The

Impact of Prevention on Reducing the Burden of

Cardiovascular Disease, http://circ.ahajournals.org/

cgi/content/full/118/5/576 (an advocacy paper with

ADA).