Overview: Transforming Heart Failure Care
Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of hospitalization and a significant public health challenge, with more than 6 million Americans affected. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has launched a new educational initiative, Transformation of HF Care: New Horizons in Treatment, designed to equip clinicians with the latest advances in HF management. The 18-month program emphasizes prompt, evidence-based use of new therapies and individualized care to improve patient outcomes across the HF spectrum.
Why a New Program is Needed
HF is a chronic, progressive condition, but rapid advances in pharmacologic therapies, devices, and rehabilitation strategies are reshaping how clinicians approach prevention and treatment. Subtypes such as HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF), and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) require tailored treatment plans. Comorbidities—diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension—and demographic disparities (including women and Black and Hispanic patients) add complexity to diagnosis and care. This program aims to bridge gaps between the latest evidence and real-world practice, ensuring all patients receive guideline-directed therapy wherever possible.
Key Components of the 18-Month Education Program
The ACC’s Transformation of HF Care program covers three core areas to enhance clinician competence and patient outcomes:
- Disease State Fundamentals: An updated look at incidence trends, drivers of HF, and prevalence across racial, ethnic, and sex groups. The curriculum also focuses on optimizing care for patients with multiple comorbidities.
- Diagnostic Proficiency: Training to classify HF phenotypes—HFrEF, HFmrEF, HFpEF—and to recognize evolving symptom patterns. The program will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical algorithms can improve HF diagnosis and phenotyping.
- Implementation in Practice: Guidance on applying guideline-directed medical therapy for HFmrEF and HFpEF, with emphasis on newer options such as finerenone and SGLT2 inhibitors. Clinicians will learn how to integrate these therapies into existing treatment paradigms and understand where they offer advantages over traditional regimens.
Evidence, Equity, and Real-World Impact
Transforming HF care is not just about new drugs; it’s about ensuring that evidence translates into better patient outcomes. As program co-chair Melvin Echols, MD, MSCR, FACC notes, the initiative seeks to promote timely, data-driven decisions that consider patients’ diverse backgrounds and comorbidities. Alison L. Bailey, MD, FACC, adds that informed clinicians can engage patients in shared decision-making, improving adherence and outcomes. The program is explicitly designed to address disparities in HF care and support clinicians in delivering equitable treatment.
What Clinicians Can Expect
Participants will gain practical tools for real-world practice, including:
- Recognition and classification of HF phenotypes in daily practice.
- Guideline-directed medical therapy for HFmrEF and HFpEF, including the latest evidence on finerenone and SGLT2 inhibitors.
- Strategies for integrating new therapies with existing regimens, and for tailoring care to patients with diabetes, kidney disease, or complex cardiovascular profiles.
- Use of AI-assisted diagnostics and algorithms to refine HF diagnosis and monitoring.
Support and Collaboration
The program is supported by Bayer, enabling robust education and dissemination of up-to-date HF care practices. By fostering collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates, the ACC hopes to accelerate the translation of research into improved heart failure management in diverse clinical settings.
Looking Ahead
As HF treatment options evolve rapidly, continuous clinician education remains essential. The Transformation of HF Care program represents a proactive step toward a future where patients with HF experience fewer hospitalizations, better symptom control, and improved quality of life through timely, individualized care.
