RESEARCH
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
AN INNOVATIVE, COMMUNITY-BASED
CARDIOVASCULAR RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM
(INTERxVENT USA)
SUMMARY
We
have developed, tested, and
successfully implemented an
affordable, evidence-based,
comprehensive cardiovascular disease
risk reduction program for use in
primary and secondary prevention
settings.
The program, INTERxVENT®USA,
can be administered in a standardized
way to large numbers of individuals
with or at risk for atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease in a variety of
medical and non-medical environments.
Program sites in Savannah
currently include (a) two hospitals;
(b) a physician group practice; (c) a
cardiac rehabilitation program; (d) a
hospital-based preventive cardiology
clinic; (e) a shopping mall; and (f)
several health clubs.
Program staff are guided by a
computerized participant management
and tracking system.
Multiple sites are coordinated
from a single location via computer
networking.
Lifestyle interventions are
based on several behavior change
models, primarily, social learning
theory, the stages of change model,
and single concept learning theory.
At certain sites, a physician
supervised/nurse case manager model is
used.
At most sites, the program is
administered entirely by non-physician
health care professionals.
Preliminary outcome data have
confirmed the cost-effectiveness of
this approach.
Practical experiences support
the feasibility of increasing access
to affordable preventive services
throughout a community via the
widespread implementation of INTERxVENT®USA
programs.
The Challenge
Unprecedented
attention is being placed on
cardiovascular disease prevention.
This focus on prevention has
arisen for four major reasons in the
United States:
1. Escalating
Health Care Costs
2. Landmark
Clinical Trials Documenting the
Benefits of Aggressive Cardiovascular
Disease Risk Factor Modification in
Both the Primary and Secondary
Prevention Setting
3.
Implementation
of Prevention-Related Quality
Assurance Measures (e.g. HEDIS)
4. Assumption
of Financial Risk by Physicians and
Hospitals for the Health Care of
Patients Enrolled in Capitated Managed
Care Plans
It
is widely believed that in order for
health care systems to thrive in the
future, they will need to be built on
“pillars of prevention.”
However, recent evidence has
identified a large gap between
recommended preventive therapies for
persons with, or at risk for,
cardiovascular disease and the care
they are actually receiving.
This
“treatment gap” remains a final
frustrating barrier to fulfilling the
potential for improving quality of
life and prognosis through
cardiovascular disease risk reduction
interventions.
There
is an urgent need to bridge the
treatment gap by developing and
implementing approaches that provide
all persons with, or at risk for,
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
access to high-quality, long-term,
cost-effective, comprehensive risk
reduction services appropriate for
their specific needs and personal
circumstances.
A
Solution:
INTERxVENTUSA
Lifestyle Management and
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction
Program
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