Cardiology AdvisorAHA Launches New Initiative to Improve HFpEF, HFmrEF In-Hospital Care Models

The American Heart Association’s IMPLEMENT-EF initiative addresses a critical treatment gap: HFpEF and HFmrEF comprise up to 75% of heart failure cases yet lack the robust clinical evidence and standardized care protocols available for other heart failure subtypes. This three-year quality improvement program, supported by Bayer, will engage 40 hospitals with multidisciplinary teams to establish evidence-based care models using Get With The Guidelines data, potentially reshaping treatment standards for millions of patients nationwide.

⚖️ Professional Impact Points

• Clinical practice standardization emerges as the initiative maps patient journey gaps and defines ideal care models, establishing benchmark protocols that may influence future standard-of-care expectations and professional liability considerations for HFpEF/HFmrEF management across specialties.
• Multidisciplinary team requirements expand with pharmacists formally integrated into care teams, potentially affecting staffing models, scope-of-practice discussions, and reimbursement structures as collaborative care becomes the recognized standard for preserved ejection fraction heart failure.
• Evidence-based therapy adherence monitoring through Get With The Guidelines data creates performance benchmarks that hospitals and physicians may face in quality metrics, potentially influencing credentialing, accreditation standards, and comparative effectiveness assessments.
• Educational credential opportunities develop through podcasts, eLearning modules, and live presentations guided by a Science Advisory Panel, offering CME credits and expertise recognition that enhance professional positioning in this underserved clinical area.
• National care model replication from the 40 participating hospitals will establish best practices that professional associations and regulatory bodies may reference when developing future guidelines, quality measures, and certification requirements for heart failure programs.

🏥 Practice Management Considerations

• Documentation Strategy: Implement systematic EF classification protocols (HFpEF ≥50%, HFmrEF 41-49%) in EMR templates with embedded therapy initiation prompts to demonstrate adherence to emerging best practices and protect against future liability as standards evolve.
• Patient Communication Protocols: Develop patient education materials explaining preserved versus reduced ejection fraction differences, medication importance, and adherence strategies, particularly for the 75% majority often underserved by traditional heart failure resources.
• Legal Risk Assessment: Monitor IMPLEMENT-EF findings and participating hospital outcomes to identify emerging standards of care; assess current practices against developing benchmarks to proactively address potential gaps in HFpEF/HFmrEF management protocols.
• Staff Training Requirements: Establish multidisciplinary team training incorporating pharmacist roles in medication optimization, ensure provider awareness of HFpEF/HFmrEF-specific therapies, and prepare staff for likely future quality metric reporting requirements based on Get With The Guidelines data.
• Quality Assurance Measures: Track early recognition rates, therapy initiation timing, and medication adherence for HFpEF/HFmrEF patients; benchmark performance against the 40 participating hospitals as their models become public to maintain competitive care standards.

HCN Medical Memo
Practices should proactively audit current HFpEF/HFmrEF identification and treatment protocols, establish multidisciplinary team structures including pharmacy integration, and monitor IMPLEMENT-EF educational offerings for CME opportunities. Early adoption of emerging best practices positions practices favorably as quality metrics evolve and provides competitive advantage in this majority-share heart failure population requiring specialized care coordination.

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