In the last two decades, significant advances in cardiology have occurred from both a technology and clinical research perspective, resulting in the improved treatment of atherosclerotic heart disease and a reduction in related mortality.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, age-adjusted mortality from heart disease, the leading cause of death overall in the U.S., declined 33% between 1990 and 2004, continuing a long-term downward trend.

These advances in cardiology and in other medical disciplines, though, have been costly.  Health care expenditures, as a percentage of GDP, increased almost 30% during this same time period – 1990 to 2004.  And despite the significant decline in heart disease-related deaths, heart disease still remains the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.  The challenge going forward will be to continue the trend of declining mortality related to heart disease while achieving it in a more cost-effective manner.

There is optimism, though, that this objective can be achieved by focusing more effort on prevention of heart disease rather than just the treatment of it.  In the course of the development of the technological advances previously mentioned, significant research and clinical trial work was performed that has provided key medical bodies, such as the American College of Cardiology, with the data and evidence needed to establish preventative treatment guidelines and strategies to reduce the risk and progression of heart disease in the American population.  However, the problem has been gaining consistent, widespread implementation of standard of care guidelines by clinical practitioners across the country.  In addition, it has been difficult to engage patients in taking a more proactive role in their own cardiovascular health as providers have lacked the tools necessary to generate customized, easily understandable patient education materials, preventative treatment plans, and lifestyle modification recommendations.  As a result, patients are routinely discharged from hospitals or leave physician offices without this much needed information and planning.

From a patient perspective, individuals that do not receive actionable education from their physicians frequently lack the necessary skills to navigate the vast and often shifting information available to them in the public domain.  The result is a higher likelihood of non-compliance and non-engagement with treatment and prevention programs.

This is a costly problem for both providers, patients, and the health care system as a whole.  On a macro level, the Advisory Board Company estimated that, on a national basis, disease management for heart failure alone “has the potential to prevent 84,000 readmissions annually and reduce Medicare spending by $424 million per year.

The challenges outlined above is what led to the formation of Intimal Health.  Linda Gordon, a founder of Intimal Health and an Advanced Practice Nurse in Clinical Cardiology, witnessed firsthand the lack of consistency among providers in applying standard of care guidelines, effectively educating patients and engaging them in their treatment and care plans.  Linda believed that comprehensive cardiovascular disease management software could offer a solution for both providers and patients.  After several years of development, Intimal Health is pleased to announce the development of their CardioHealth cardiovascular disease management platform and related MyCardioHealth application.