Harrisonburg, Va.-based Sentara RMH Medical Center opened a heart failure clinic that provides care to recently discharged patients with cardiac issues, the hospital said March 24.
"Our goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and improve outcomes for these patients," said Brad Rash, MD, the clinic's director and medical director of Senara's cardiology specialists. "We plan to achieve our goal by seeing patients within three to seven days after discharge," he said, adding that this close follow-up period allows for timely evaluation of patients' medical therapy, and getting those who need specialized heart care connected to specialists quicker.
Patients at the clinic are mainly treated by nurse practitioners, with a primary cardiologist following their progress.
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