Expansion of Heart Failure Device Therapy Into a Rural Indigent Population in Louisiana: Potential Economic and Health Policy Implications

详细信息    查看全文

• 作者：Kathy Hebert ; James Mckinnie ; Ron Horswell ; Lee Arcement ; Lynne Stevenson
• 关键词：Defibrillators ; Safety net ; Implantable cardioverter defibrillator ; Uninsured
• 刊名：Journal of Cardiac Failure
• 出版年：2006
• 出版时间：December 2006
• 年：2006
• 卷：12
• 期：9
• 页码：689-693
• 全文大小：102 K

文摘

Research regarding the use of implantable devices in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) has shown mortality benefits. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved new criteria for expanding coverage for such therapies. The purpose of this study was to determine the percentages of CHF patients in a rural, indigent heart failure population that would be eligible for implantable defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) based on the new CMS criteria.

Methods and Results

The new CMS guidelines were applied to information compiled in a database for 451 CHF disease management patients, at Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center. Results show that, annually, 32 % of the newly identified CHF patient population would be eligible for ICD therapy and 7.3 % would be eligible for CRT therapy.

Conclusions

Providers of health care to the indigent may lack sufficient resources for the devices and the infrastructure for device implantation and follow-up.