WILMINGTON, DE — The ChristianaCare Center for Heart & Vascular Health is creating a ground-breaking ripple in the field of medicine. By leveraging a hybrid digital model, favorable clinical results have skyrocketed among Black patients suffering from heart failure and hypertension. This leap forward is anchored on partnering technology with personalized coaching, providing close monitoring and guidance to ensure patients adhere to their designed care plans and successfully meet treatment goals.
ChristianaCare’s commitment to closing health disparity gaps and achieving balanced health equity in the communities it serves is palpable. Especially this heart month, they rejoice in the significant progress made in improving health outcomes for their patients, particularly among the Black population challenged with heart failure and hypertension.
The demographics at ChristianaCare only underline the importance of this achievement. Approximately 32% of their heart failure patients identify as Black, compared to a national percentage of 12.4%. Unfortunately, for too long, Black Americans have battled racial disparities in heart failure treatment, with lower adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). They also bear a 30% higher risk of death from heart disease than their white counterparts.
Enter Story Health, a health technology services firm at the forefront of this remarkable change. Their digital platform and health coaches have been pivotal in delivering enhanced outcomes for ChristianaCare’s patients, regardless of race, although the gains by Black patients have been notably striking: Six-fold improvement in beta blockers adherence, seven-fold improvement in ACE/ARB/ARNIs compliance, and a double improvement in adhering to MRAs.
Moreover, there was a clear improvement in Black patients taking SGLT2 inhibitors, shooting from a 32% baseline to a staggering 74%. Despite the crucial role of SGLT2 inhibitors in treating heart failure, they are often underprescribed and see lower patient adherence. Predominantly, this is attributed to their prohibitive cost, with prices possibly hitting $500 monthly. Recognizing this crucial aspect, the health coaches actively identify patients requiring financial aid and assist in qualifying them for prescription aid programs.
The health coaches, an extension of the clinician team, help identify and resolve issues such as medication adherence, lab work coordination, transportation arrangement, and even prescription assistance that can disrupt the care journey and lead to unfavorable outcomes.
Moreover, ChristianaCare’s partnership with Story Health has also registered significant blood pressure reductions among hypertension patients, regardless of race. Specifically, among Black patients, noticeable decreases in average absolute systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were registered after 120 days.
Following this significant advance, ChristianaCare’s Center for Virtual Health plans to extend this care model beyond cardiology to provide health support to all patients. This will be particularly beneficial to patients grappling with high blood pressure management, with the continuous care program being a crucial tool in medication management and addressing social impediments.
The recognition ChristianaCare has received is testament to its commitment to superior heart care. The facility has repeatedly been applauded, gaining accolades such as the American College of Cardiology HeartCARE National Distinction of Excellence Award for three consecutive years (2020-2023) and being named among Healthgrades top 100 hospitals for heart care in the U.S. for two consecutive years (2022-2023).
With an investment in health equity and the belief that every individual deserves compassionate and accessible care, the collaborative effort between ChristianaCare and Story Health is indeed a testament to the incredible possibilities that open up when technology is merged with human-guided initiative.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.