About The Program
The N-HeFT™ Network encompasses medical teams of heart failure experts who are dedicated to doing “the right thing for the right reason.” Thirty-five host sites from all parts of the country form the network that provides education to improve the quality of care across the cardiovascular continuum. These multidisciplinary teams have worked together to close the gaps at all points of care. N-HeFT™ is sponsored and administered by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) for continuing education credit. A variety of venues for medical teams are available. |
Contact Information: For questions or comments concerning this educational activity mail to nheft@case.edu |
| PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS |
- Current optimal approaches to heart patient care
- No cost online courses
- Affordable hands-on workshops, rounds, seminars, conference presentations
- Continuing education credits for physicians, pharmacists, and nurses
- First hand exposure to the operations of a top tier heart failure clinic
- Convenience-matching the best venue and time for your team
- Customized programs available focusing on your medical team’s needs
- Ongoing support available to assist in implementing practice improvement
- Resources, published guidelines, patient education materials, references, and quality tools to use in your practice
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| NETWORK MEMBERS |
The combined strength of all the members of the N-HeFT™ network has contributed to successfully reaching our goals. Our list of members includes the following:
- Executive Council
- N-HeFT™ Staff
- Lead Clinical Coordinator-Julie Gee, RN, MSN, CNP (click for bio)
- Development Specialist-Eva Allen
- Assistant-Jeneen Shell
- Accreditation click to view
- Continuing Medical Education within the School of Medicine at CWRU
- Financial support is gratefully acknowledged
- The Long Term Care (LTC), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) program has been made possible by a grant from the McGregor Foundation.
- Funding for The Heart Truth was made possible in part by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators at HHS-sponsored conferences do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S.
- Acceptance of funding in support of this program does not constitute endorsement of any product or manufacturer.
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| MISSION |
N-HeFT™ seeks to create a mutually supportive environment for its members that promotes evidence-based best practices for heart failure by providing didactic sessions and preceptorships through its network of heart failure centers across the country.
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PURPOSE OF THE NETWORK |
The purpose of this national network is twofold:
- Disseminate best practices to interdisciplinary medical teams who are eager to learn and enhance their care for HF patients
- Continuously improve the quality of the program itself as an educational delivery system with the goal of improved patient outcomes
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| DESIRED OUTCOMES |
| Physicians will implement changes in their practice to improve the quality of care of their heart failure patients. Participants currently identify three areas for change in their practice. N-HeFT™ host sites will facilitate discussions with the participating sites following the program to monitor the progress of the areas identified for change. |
Resources and teaching techniques are designed to encourage and/or reinforce practice behaviors with the goal of improving quality outcomes.
(click for outcomes) |
| AUDIENCE/FORMAT |
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The curriculum is intended for physicians in cardiology, family or general practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine, ob/gyn, geriatrics, and members of their health care teams interested in a clinical update in the diagnostic and management challenges in the treatment of heart failure. Customized workshops for nurse managers, medical directors, medical scientific liaisons, and medical sales personnel are also available. |
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The workshops can be tailored to the unique setting of each team including hospital, outpatient, skilled nursing facility, home care, nursing home, and palliative care or hospice. |
| FORMATS |
This training is designed for groups such as nursing home staff, home health groups, medical science liaisons, etc. who may not be interested in visiting the hospital or heart failure clinic. Training is tailored to the specific needs of each team. Some examples of possible activities include:
- patient panel
- faculty panel
- guided standardized patient
- strategic planning opportunity
- telemanagement training
- workshop on setting up a heart failure program
Click here for sample agenda |
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The web site offers online presentations by heart failure experts and complements the live courses by supplementing resources and increasing the scope and distribution of training. Online curriculum also incorporates new areas of training for geriatric specialists, home care professionals, nurses, and residents in general and family medicine. It includes the following:
- Assessment
- True and false, multiple choice: basic science and clinical knowledge
- Case presentations: diagnosis and therapeutic approaches
- Evaluation of training
- Self-assessment
- Audio and slides
- Regular updates by editorial team
- Email connection to network of experts by email
- Continuing education credit
(click for online curriculum) |
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Small medical teams who already treat HF patients can work with one of 35 host sites and meet with clinicians who specialize in heart failure to share their clinical challenges and experiences in the management of heart failure. Curriculum is uniquely tailored to the specific learning needs of each small medical team-whether the cardiac specialist or the general practitioner. |
| Small medical teams learn about optimal approaches to heart failure through highly interactive lecture, observation and hands-on participation. |
These teams also receive materials that support implementation of a heart failure disease management program designed to improve both clinical and economic outcomes. Following the experience, N-HeFT™ faculty will consult in the implementation of new ideas and practices learned in the program if requested. Host site faculty make follow-up contacts to discuss the strategies and challenges encountered since the site visit. |
Click for sample agendas:
Cardiology
Primary Care |
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N-HeFT™ in partnership with Family Medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) developed heart failure training interwoven in the three year program for faculty and residents.
Training utilizes:
- A spiraling approach for educational content and clinical skill
- Heart failure interactive lectures and case studies
- Clinical practice
- Evaluation of all levels of training
Click here for details
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The role of Advocate for HF patients was developed to address these important challenges
- High cost of hospitalization
- Poor post-discharge follow up
- High rates of 30-day readmission
- Inadequate prescription and titration of medications
- Limited patient education for self care
- Poor communication between providers
A basic curriculum includes physiology, diagnosis and management of HF, practice guidelines, communication, end-of-life decision making and palliative care to support the following activities of the HF Advocates:
- Maintain a sizeable caseload of HF patients at high risk for hospital readmission and death that includes providing aggressive post-discharge follow up
- Build effective and influential relationships with MDs, RNs, and administrators at every point of care to improve use of evidence-based decision-making for HF patients
- Evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of existing systems of HF care
- Participate in planning and convening of HF educational and quality improvement forums.
Click here to learn more about the program |
| TOPICS/OBJECTIVES |
| CARDIOLOGY CORE |
- Review current evidence on pharmacologic therapy for HF
- Identify appropriate interventions based on changes in HF status
- Discuss various new therapeutic approaches based on recent studies
- Develop a systematic approach to ventricular arrhythmias
- Determine the minimum structure, processes, tools, and performance measures related to setting up a HF program
- Discuss the economics of HF in the U.S.
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| PRIMARY CARE CORE |
- Recognize the etiologies and epidemiology of HF
- Describe the pathophysiology of the failing heart
- Identify key elements of the physical exam and work up of HF patients to determine differential diagnosis
- Review evidenced-based HF guidelines for HF
- Determine appropriate pharmacologic therapy based on pathophysiological guidelines
- Describe factors that influence effective medication management of HF
- Explain the role of essential elements of patient education in adherence to HF treatment plan
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| ALLIED HEALTH CORE |
- Recognize the etiologies and epidemiology of HF
- Identify key elements of the nursing assessment of HF
- Review evidenced-based HF guidelines for HF
- Determine appropriate pharmacologic therapy based on pathophysiological guidelines
- Describe factors that influence effective medication management of HF
- Describe key elements of effective nurse-physician-patient communication
- Describe approaches to improve self-efficacy for HF patients
- Discuss diagnosis and treatment of end stage HF patients
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| ELECTIVES |
- Determine appropriate device therapy based on current guidelines for Ventricular Assist Device implantation (VAD), Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT)
- Identify indications and contraindications for heart transplantation
- Review treatment options for co-morbidities of HF
- Discuss diagnosis and treatment for HF patients with depression
- Describe effective discharge plan
- Plan a disease management strategy appropriate to a given population
- Plan a disease management strategy utilizing telehealth
- Discuss roles of echocardiography in HF diagnosis and treatment
- Discuss testing, benefits and limitations of exercise for patients with HF
- Consider principles of effective change in improvement planning processes
- Describe accepted medical therapy for HF with preserved LVEF
- Outline the updated Heart Failure Society Association guidelines for heart failure and identify changes
- Analyze psychosocial and quality of life issues in HF care
- Review the approach for the diagnosis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Review the approach for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
- Discuss research opportunities for HF
- Explain the role of the advocate as a bridge to quality care for HF patients
- Identify components of sleep apnea related to HF
- Explore approaches to treatment of sleep apnea
- Explore surgical options for end stage HF
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| ACCREDITATION FOR N-HeFT™ LIVE |
The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
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| The CWRU School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 7.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. |
Current guidelines require that participants in CME activities be made aware of 1) any relationships between speakers and commercial entities, 2) discussion of off-label uses of medications and/or devices, and 3) any limitations in data cited. This information has been requested from speakers and will be incorporated into the syllabus distributed during the activity.
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| MEDICAL DISCLAIMER |
| Medicine is an ever-changing science. As new research and clinical experience broaden our knowledge, changes in treatment and drug therapy are required. The author has checked with sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is complete and generally in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication. |
| Although every effort is made to ensure that this material is accurate and up-to-date, it is provided for the convenience of the user and should not be considered definitive. Neither the author nor the CWRU School of Medicine nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete, and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. |
| Learners are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. This information should not be construed as personal medical advice and is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. The CWRU School of Medicine will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising here from. |
| Contact Information: For questions or comments concerning this educational activity contact nheft@case.edu |
All faculty have agreed to abide by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountancy for information privacy) regulations.
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