Hosparus Health launched the Heart Connection^SM Program as a pilot one year ago and the results have been fantastic! We are thrilled to roll out this important program throughout our footprint in 37 counties in Kentucky and Indiana.

The Center for Disease Control reports 5.7 million American adults are living with heart disease. About 10% of this population have advanced stage heart disease. Advanced heart disease is caused by anything that weakens or damages the heart muscle, such as years of high blood pressure, diabetes, a heart attack, and heart valve disease. Some risk factors for developing heart failure include obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and smoking. While advanced cardiac disease cannot be cured, it can be managed if monitored closely. In 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines supported the use of palliative care in patients with advanced heart disease. Many patients with advance heart disease qualify for hospice services but do not receive them due to lack of public and physician knowledge.

We want to be your source of care if you are diagnosed with heart disease that qualifies you for hospice services. Some signs and symptoms that our Heart Connection^SM  Program may benefit you are:

• Diagnosed with advance heart disease
• History of cardiac arrest
• Suffering from chronic chest pain or angina
• Heart medication are no longer managing your symptoms
• Increased shortness of breath (more than you used to)
• Frequent hospitalizations
• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• Multiple chronic illnesses, such as lung disease, kidney disease or dementia
• Have received treatment for heart disease in the past but are no longer a candidate for further medical treatment.

Hosparus Health’s Heart Connection^SM Program includes visits by our specially trained staff wherever the patient calls home, including facilities. Patients have access to 24-hour clinical support to assist in the management and early detection of advance heart disease symptoms. Patients receives tools to assist in managing their symptoms including a digital scale and symptom tracking tool. The 2018 pilot results of the Heart Connection^SM program reflected patients enrolled in the program lived twice as long as patients not enrolled and had a less than a 5% hospital readmission rate. 

While you are a patient enrolled in the Hosparus Health Heart Connection^SM Program we will work with your goals including: what type of care you are seeking, do your goals involve returning to the hospital or staying at home to receive care for as long as possible? For advanced heart disease patients, making decisions requires teamwork; you, your family, your doctor and/or your Hosparus Health team can help you make these important choices. The team provides guidance as heart disease progresses, helping our patients live longer with the best quality of life! That is what’s most important to us.

The Heart Connection^SM team includes:
• registered nurses
• physicians
• certified nursing assistants
• social workers
• spiritual support counselors
• trained volunteers.

Your current physician can also be part of this team. We support and educate the family in caregiving, and we also provide medical supplies related to your heart disease diagnosis.

Cost of Care is often not an issue because hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most health insurance companies. The coverage includes medications related to the primary hospice diagnosis.

If you think you may be eligible to enroll in Hosparus Health’s Heart Connection^SM Program, call us today at 800-264-0521 or visit HosparusHealth.org to contact us.