Heart Failure Clinic
The NJCA Heart Failure Center treats over 1,000 patients a year
According to the CDC, Heart Failure affects 6.5 million adults in the United States. The cost of heart failure treatment in the nation was $30.7 billion in 2012 including the cost of health care services, medicines to treat heart failure, and missed days of work. As the population ages, it is estimated that by 2030, the total direct costs will increase by 127% to $69.7 billion according to an article in the journal Circulation in 2018.
As a comprehensive cardiology practice, we are able to offer treatment options such as device management, rhythm management, valvular heart disease management, and invasive cardiology procedures in addition to prescribing medications and promoting lifestyle changes.
Qualified Team
Our team of highly skilled Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, and support staff focuses on individualized patient management.
Focus on Prevention
Preventive care is focused on but is not limited to nutrition counseling, exercise through cardiac rehab, and referral to weight loss centers including bariatric treatment when appropriate.
Telemonitoring
We offer telemonitoring in which the patient is given special equipment to send their daily blood pressures, weight, and a short questionnaire which is all delivered electronically to our nursing staff. This information is reviewed daily and allows the team to act quickly to address in the event of any changes in weight, blood pressure, and symptoms.
Care Coordination
At the New Jersey Cardiology Heart Failure Center, we feel it is essential to foster communication with the primary care providers and other specialists caring for the patient. Our team will collaborate with other specialties such as nephrology, pulmonology, sleep medicine, and endocrinology. This communication makes sure there is coordination and communication of lab testing and result reporting, specific patient care needs and concerns, changes in treatment plans, and appropriate referrals.
Coordination with the hospital teams allows a seamless transition of care from the hospital to home. Our team follows up to ensure the patient is on the appropriate treatment plan, understands their discharge management, and makes certain the patients have a timely follow-up in the office. Our team of Registered Nurses contacts patients within 24-48 hours after discharge to review the treatment plan, assist with any difficulties in obtaining medication changes or home care needs and arrange in-office follow-up. Our team of Nurse Practitioners will evaluate the patient in the office within 5-7 days after hospital discharge. We have proven successful in helping patients stay out of the hospital by assisting patients and family members with understanding their medication regimens, home monitoring, and obtaining cost-saving medication options. In addition, in most cases, we are able to treat our patients having fluid overload in our office by giving them an intravenous diuretic thereby avoiding a trip to the Emergency Room. At NJCA Heart Failure Center, our 30-day hospital readmission rate on average is below 10% which is significantly better than the national average of 21%.
We offer the most current treatment strategies and participate in research to further ensure we are on the cutting edge of cardiology care.
Know More About Heart Failure
Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump blood properly and is unable to meet the body’s need for blood and oxygen. There are several types of Heart Failure, for example; Heart Failure in which the heart muscle is weak is usually referred to as Systolic Heart Failure. Another type of Heart Failure which is caused by a stiff heart muscle is referred to as Heart Failure preserved EF, sometimes referred to as Diastolic Heart Failure.
Certain conditions contribute to Heart Failure prevalence such as:
- Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Heart Rhythm Abnormalities such as Atrial Fibrillation
- Congenital Heart Defects
- Pulmonary Hypertension including Obstructive Sleep Apnea, COPD
- Valvular Heart Disease
- Hereditary conditions such as Marfan’s Syndrome, Cardiac Amyloidosis
- Rheumatological conditions
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
Unhealthy behaviors contributing to the incidence of Heart Failure include:
- Smoking Tobacco
- Consumption of foods high in fat, cholesterol and sodium
- Not enough physical exercise
- Excessive alcohol intake
Affiliations
New Jersey Cardiology Associates and the Heart Failure Center are part of the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health Care System where we have the only two heart transplant centers in the State of New Jersey
- Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Financial Support
We are proud to be able to support our patients experiencing financial difficulties through the efforts of our experienced support staff. Some of the services we assist with include applications for pharmaceutical patient assistance, use of Good Rx, applications for grants to assist patients with copays for medications, collaboration with RWJBH pharmacies to obtain low-cost/no-cost medications, and arranging for transportation to and from our offices. We also assist with arranging home blood draws for homebound patients.