Over the past 30 years, the number of people experiencing heart attacks has decreased by at least 50%, and the likelihood of death from a heart attack has declined by roughly 80%. Research and evidence-based guidelines from the American Heart Association have played a significant role in driving these improvements.
During a session at Becker’s 16th Annual Meeting, sponsored by the American Heart Association and titled “Accelerating Priorities Through Co-Designed Precision Quality Improvement,” healthcare leaders discussed the evolving challenges heart disease presents across the U.S. healthcare system — and the role of quality improvement in addressing them. The session was moderated by Craig Beam, president of Beam & Associates.
Featured speakers included:
- Jim Andrews, president and chief executive officer, Deborah Heart and Lung Center (Browns Mills, N.J.)
- Michele Bolles, executive vice president, quality, outcomes research and analytics, American Heart Association
- Clyde W. Yancy, MD, chief, division of cardiology and vice dean for health equity, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Three key takeaways from the session include:
1. The Heart Association is building a scalable performance improvement framework
Historically, the Heart Association has been recognized for advancing science and defining evidence‑based care. Today, the organization is extending that leadership by focusing on how evidence is operationalized — through performance improvement, workflow design, care coordination and sustainability at the system level.
This approach recognizes that the next generation of cardiovascular challenges — whether heart failure, stroke, hypertension or conditions not yet fully defined — will require more than isolated programs. They will require a repeatable framework that helps organizations identify priorities, reduce variation and translate evidence into action.
Programs such as Get With The Guidelines® and learning collaboratives like IMPLEMENT‑HF demonstrate how this model works: aligning clinical science, frontline co‑design and data‑driven execution to produce measurable, durable change.
2. Heart failure illustrates why systems need a new performance improvement model
Heart failure is the number one diagnosis-related group for many hospitals and health systems. However, an overreliance on traditional performance metrics — such as revenue per case, length of stay and readmission rates — can obscure the true drivers of both quality and sustainability, according to Mr. Andrews.
Mr. Andrews pointed to heart failure as a clear example of why health systems need tools and methodologies that integrate clinical quality, operational capacity and financial performance — not as a one‑off solution, but as a model that can be applied across service lines.
Taking this more comprehensive view often leads to a clear conclusion: the most effective way to manage heart failure is to keep patients out of the hospital whenever possible through proactive, outpatient-focused care.
“In the next 10 years, there will be about 20% more heart failure patients coming to hospitals,” Mr. Andrews said. “This is going to create a significant resource crunch. If health systems are not actively managing this population on the outpatient side, beds will increasingly be occupied by heart failure patients — limiting capacity to care for other cardiac conditions.”
While heart failure framed much of the discussion, panelists emphasized that the same approach is increasingly necessary for other cardiovascular conditions as demand grows, therapies become more complex and workforce and capacity constraints intensify.
3. A durable improvement framework relies on three foundational elements
Effective cardiovascular performance improvement requires three foundational components, said Dr. Yancy: a clearly defined system of care, multidisciplinary disease management teams and strong clinical and operational champions.
“When you have a champion, a disease management team and a system of care endorsed by top leadership, these strategies work,” Dr. Yancy said.
Ms. Bolles echoed that perspective, calling the combination a “three-legged stool” for sustainable performance improvement.
“When all three elements are in place and aligned, organizations are better positioned to drive meaningful, lasting improvements in cardiovascular care,” she said.
For executives in attendance, the message was clear: a different approach to performance improvement is both possible and necessary. As cardiovascular care continues to evolve, the Heart Association’s focus is on equipping health systems with a model that can adapt — ensuring today’s solutions do not become tomorrow’s constraints.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.