Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients with Established Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: New Directions in the Era of Value-Based Healthcare

Abstract

Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is associated with significant improvements in coronary disease outcomes, but has been underutilized. However, new developments within the field, some spurred by healthcare reform and the transition to more accountable and coordinated care, offer hope for closing the large CR treatment gap. This review presents new CR-related research, policy, and analyses, and discusses how evolving eligibility criteria, referral processes, performance measures, care models, and delivery and payment options could increase CR utilization over the next decade and enable this life-saving secondary prevention intervention to thrive in the era of value-based health care.

Keywords: Accountable care; Cardiac rehabilitation; Care coordination; Congestive heart failure; Coronary artery disease; Population management; Secondary prevention.