Many cardiovascular programs view arrhythmia as a growth opportunity due to increasing patient prevalence and expanding treatment options. Yet arrhythmia—in particular atrial fibrillation (AF)—is also one of the most challenging disease states for CV providers to manage. CV leaders must develop a comprehensive arrhythmia care strategy to optimize patient management and program efficiency.

This research report and the accompanying implementation resources provide actionable strategies to help CV leaders develop a seamlessly integrated care continuum for high-quality, efficient arrhythmia patient management.

If you're unfamiliar with heart rhythm disorders, read Arrhythmia 101 for a quick primer of the complex EP clinical landscape before diving in. Then, take the diagnostic assessment to determine your arrhythmia program’s strengths and opportunities for development. Finally, access our exclusive arrhythmia benchmarks to see how your arrhythmia program infrastructure and operations compares to peer across the country.

10 imperatives to develop an integrated, high-quality arrhythmia program

Build a foundation for high-quality outcomes (p. 13)

• Align service offerings with market demands
• • CV Clinical Technology Compendium
  • Key Considerations for Watchman Device Adoption
• Improve EP program performance monitoring
• • 2016 ACC/AHA AF Clinical Performance and Quality Measures
  • EP and AF Program Dashboards
• Ensure evidence-based care
• • EP Clinical Guideline Library
  • Mayo Clinic: Shared Decision-Making Resource Center
  • ACC: AnticoagEvaluator Clinical Decision Application

Enable appropriate arrhythmia patient management (p. 27)

• Facilitate earlier patient identification
• • Arrhythmia Referral Guideline Compendium
  • AF ED Triage Protocol: Baptist Health
• Leverage comprehensive AF clinic for patient-centered care
• Create personalized treatment plans
• • Intermountain Healthcare: Guide to the Outpatient Management of Atrial Fibrillation
  • ACC Evaluation and Management of the AF Patient and ACC AF Pocket Guide
  • AHA Patient Tools to support shared decision making in care plan development

Enhance operational efficiency (p. 39)

• Optimize procedural productivity
• Develop a high-value staffing model
• • Arrhythmia Program Coordinator Job Description: Cone Health
  • AF Program Coordinator Job Description: Baptist Health
  • AF Procedural Program Navigator Job Description: Baptist Health
  • EP Procedure Staffing Recommendations
  • EP Staff Engagement Tactics
  • EP Lab Staff Orientation, Competency Checklist

Connect the arrhythmia care continuum (p. 49)

• Empower patients to self-manage
  • AHA Patient Tools to support AF education and patient symptom monitoring
  • Arrhythmia Patient Education Checklist: Sentara Healthcare
• Support long-term patient follow-up
• • Stroke and Bleeding Risk Scores

Profiles of innovative programs (p. 57)

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