Heart failure disease management: impact on hospital care, length of stay, and reimbursement.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major medical problem with significant hospital costs. The authors developed an inpatient disease management program for CHF in a community hospital setting to determine if it is possible to: 1) increase implementation of Agency for Health Care Policy and Research criteria for CHF; 2) improve the quality of patient care, while lowering length of stay and treatment cost for CHF; and 3) maintain nursing staff satisfaction. The program encompassed a clinical pathway incorporating Agency for Health Care Policy and Research criteria for CHF, CHF education, and patient educational materials. When compared to "unmanaged" patients (n=197) not participating in the algorithm due to physician choice, "managed" patients (n=396) had significantly increased documentation of left ventricular dysfunction and of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use. In contrast to unmanaged patients, managed patients had a significantly lower length of stay (3.9+/-2.2 vs. 6.1+/-2.8 days; p<0.0001) with a significant reduction in cost per patient ($4404+/-$1989 vs. $6828+/-$3347; p<0.0001). These changes were sustained in follow-up over 1 year and were associated with an improvement in nursing staff education and nursing care. Thus, a disease management program for CHF can be successfully implemented in a general community hospital setting, achieving improved compliance with Agency for Health Care Policy and Research treatment criteria and enhancing patient care, while reducing length of stay and cost. Copyright 2003 CHF, Inc.