Researchers from Philadelphia-based Temple University Health System have developed an EHR-integrated tool to detect pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of heart failure, according to a study published April 5 in the American Heart Journal.
The virtual echocardiography screening tool, referred to as VEST, generates accurate pulmonary arterial hypertension risk scores based on information within the EHR and flags patients whose scores put them at risk of heart failure.
Anjali Vaidya, MD, the lead author of the study, shared more about the tool with Becker’s and what it means for clinical care. She is a co-director of the Advanced Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure & Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension program at Temple University Hospital. Also known as CTEPH, the program has been accredited as a Center of Comprehensive Care by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: How has Temple University Hospital integrated the VEST tool into daily workflows?
Dr. Anjali Vaidya: It is automatically calculated in echocardiograms and integrates into the routine clinical reports. Patients with the highest risk score are prompted for referral to our Advanced Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure & Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension program. The tool has been utilized by departments across the board in Temple Health.
Q: Could this approach be expanded to screen for other forms of heart failure or pulmonary disease?
AV: This is specific for pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension is generally either a form of right heart failure or a result of left heart failure, and VEST can very accurately predict that distinction.
Q: What would you say to hospital or health system leaders evaluating this kind of clinical decision tool?
AV: The shortened time to accurate diagnosis and referral to an accredited pulmonary hypertension care center is an extremely valuable asset. We showed that patients who were referred to Temple Cardiology’s CTEPH Program were more than 2.5 times as likely to receive the gold standard of care in their evaluation. This correlates with more accurate diagnoses, improvements in survival, patient satisfaction and alignment with all of the international and national guidelines and major medical organization standards.
Since pulmonary hypertension is a form of heart failure, the opportunity to mitigate the risk of recurrent admissions for acute decompensated heart failure is a major metric for hospital quality and cost of care.
