Tampa General Hospital Expands Access To Cardiac Rehabilitation

Press release from TGH:

Nov. 4, 2022

For the first time in the Tampa Bay region, the Tampa General Heart & Vascular Institute is transforming the future of cardiac care by partnering with Recora on a virtual cardiac recovery program for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation patients across the academic medical center’s 23-county service area.

“Driving innovation and operational excellence through strategic collaborations is a pathway to providing advanced health care to our patients and their families every day,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. “Our new partnership with Recora brings cardiac rehabilitation care into patients’ homes – providing a convenient and impactful program that improves access and the quality of care.”

The partnership will blend Tampa General’s clinical and academic expertise in heart care and rehabilitation with Recora’s proven, comprehensive cardiac recovery program to provide patients with everything they need to restore their heart health at home.

A key component of recovery from a major cardiovascular surgery or procedure is gradually increasing supervised exercise. With the virtual recovery program, patients can easily access and continue their cardiac rehabilitation with Tampa General, regardless of where they are located in the state, be it at home, on vacation, or visiting family. By improving access through a virtual program supported by knowledgeable, on-demand care teams, Tampa General expects to improve patient participation and ultimately, provide patients with a better quality of life following hospitalization for a heart condition or a heart surgery or procedure.

Recora’s Cardiac Recovery Program for rehabilitation patients includes:

• Recora Recovery Kit: The kit includes an internet-enabled smart tablet that can be set to English or Spanish and other tools such as resistance bands and a blood pressure monitor that can be used by patients of all ages.
• Recora at Home: A personalized program that goes beyond virtual sessions to include educational tools, support groups and a 24/7 chat with the Recora Care Team.
• Recora Care Team: A dedicated team of multidisciplinary providers, including physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, health coaches, dietitians and other specialists.

Recora’s Cardiac Recovery Program moves beyond 12 weeks of rehabilitation exercise to deliver comprehensive care management that focuses on a patient’s overall health and wellness. In addition to cardiac rehabilitation exercise, Tampa General patients will be able to receive nutrition counseling, support groups, and social support services, among other resources, through the Recora program. Dedicated nurse navigators also interact closely with patients to assist them through the care process, answering questions and providing support. All of this is with the goal of improving a patient’s cardiovascular risk factors and health and preventing another cardiac event.

Recora currently serves more than 30,000 cardiac patients in the U.S. across health systems, health plans and medical groups and has garnered industry-leading results that include:

• 15% hospital readmission rate for Recora patients, versus the national average of 43% across Medicare patients with heart failure at six months.
• 87% Recora cardiac recovery program completion rate, versus the national average of 26%.
• 94% of Recora patients adhere to their cardiac medication.
• 80% improvement of distance and strength gains among Recora patients.

"Today, one in four people in the U.S. die of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although cardiac rehabilitation is considered the standard of care, just 16% of eligible patients start the program and 26% finish all sessions. Tampa General has made the decision to change that," said Recora CEO Abhishek Chandra. "We are excited to extend Tampa General’s care delivery to patients within their own home, through a personalized and convenient cardiac rehabilitation curriculum that can engage patients in continuing a healthier lifestyle.”

Tampa General patients who meet the criteria for cardiac rehabilitation can receive a physician’s order for the cardiac recovery program when they are discharged home from the hospital. The hospital’s patients can also visit https://www.recora.com/partners-for-patients/tampa-general-hospital or call 813-421-8945 to learn more. The Tampa General/Recora team will ask screening questions to determine a patient’s eligibility.

Tampa General’s participation was coordinated through TGH Innoventures, which, among other things, provides Tampa General with a platform to invest resources and funds into emerging companies.

As part of its commitment to serving the greater Tampa Bay area, Tampa General Heart & Vascular Institute collaborates with USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to provide comprehensive, next-generation care powered by cutting-edge research for patients with complex heart and vascular conditions. Recovery and improvement of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular health are part of the institute’s focus on caring for the whole patient. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Tampa General Hospital as “high performing" in Cardiology & Heart Surgery, as TGH ranks among the top 10% of hospitals in the nation for 2022-2023. Tampa General also earned “high performing” recognition by U.S. News as one of the best hospitals for heart failure and heart attack care for 2022-23. Patients come to TGH from across Florida for the clinical and academic expertise of the world-class team.

In-person cardiac rehabilitation from Tampa General is available at the TGH Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, 509 S. Armenia Ave., Tampa. For more information, call 813-844-7706.

This press release was produced by TGH. The views expressed here are the author's own.