Heart failure and disease management

Disease management is a comprehensive program that identifies a population of patients at risk, provides a coherent framework of coordinated care for these patients, and demonstrates improved outcomes. In applying disease management strategies to heart failure, there is clearly the technology to improve outcomes. The two main issues involved are influencing physician practice patterns and improving patient compliance. A successful disease management program in heart failure should include patient identification, patient assessment, patient education and training, patient monitoring, and triage and acute intervention. With the advances in treatment of heart failure, we have the means to keep patients out of the hospital, maintain their functionality, and decrease mortality. The rear issue, which is where disease management can help, is how to apply technology in an effective way to turn potential gains into real gains. The key is not to develop more technology, but to implement effectively the technology that exists.