AHA Launches New Initiative to Help Patients With Heart Failure

The American Heart Association (AHA) announced their new 3-year initiative aimed at improving in-hospital care for patients with heart failure with preserved and mildly reduced ejection fraction on September 15 in a press release. The initiative will address the unmet needs of those with this condition in addition to mapping gaps in the patients' journey and defining ideal care models.¹

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) account for up to 75% of all heart failure cases; however, treatment evidence for both is “substantially” limited when compared with other types of heart failure (HF).² The new initiative called IMPLEMENT-EF was designed to improve in-hospital care, specifically mapping inpatient journeys in an attempt to address a smaller percentage of HFpEF patients who may have actually had amyloidosis or restrictive cardiomyopathies, as they did not present with signs and symptoms of typical patients with HFpEF.³ Furthermore, AHA also acknowledged the importance of early recognition and initiation of evidence-based therapies to improve health outcomes in patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF.²

The normal ejection fraction—the percentage of blood leaving the left ventricle with each heartbeat—ranges from 55% to 77%. In HFpEF, ejection fraction remains 50% and above, but the ventricle does not relax properly for filling. In HFmrEF, ejection fraction is reduced to 41% to 49%. Both conditions can cause dizziness, fatigue, edema (swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, or abdomen), frequent urination, shortness of breath, and reduced exercise tolerance. These complexities highlight the need for improved care models and in-hospital management to enhance outcomes.⁴

The initiative supported by Bayer Pharmaceuticals organized a network of multidisciplinary care teams to ensure patients are adhering to the proper medication, increase provider awareness of best care practices, and improve adherence using data from AHA’s Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure. Additionally, AHA will assemble a science advisory panel to orchestrate and guide the development of professional education tools to be offered, which include podcast series, eLearning modules, and live presentations.²

“Improving care for people experiencing heart failure with preserved or mildly reduced ejection fraction requires more than just clinical knowledge. It demands a coordinated, team-based approach,” said Mariell Jessup, MD, FAHA, chief science and medical officer of the AHA in the press release. “By bringing together diverse care teams and leveraging real-world data, this initiative will help elevate the standard of care and ultimately improve outcomes for millions of people living with heart failure.”

There are 40 hospitals taking part in the IMPLEMENT-EF initiative across the country. The majority of these locations are localized towards the northeast and south in states like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas. However, there are a few participating hospitals on the West Coast, in California, to be specific, like Stanford Health Care and Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. Nevertheless, all of these hospitals, AHA says, will have access to nationally recognized experts, educational resources, and quality improvement models.

“We are committed to advancing science that transforms patient care, especially in areas like HFpEF and HFmrEF, where gaps in evidence and treatment persist,” said Robert Perkins, MD, MPH, FACP, vice president of US medical affairs cardiovascular and renal at Bayer, in the press release. “We’re proud to support this American Heart Association initiative to help identify and scale effective care models that can improve outcomes for the millions of people living with these forms of heart failure.”


References
1. Implement-EF. AHA website. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/IMPLEMENT-EF
2. New initiative launched to improve care for people with certain types of heart failure. News release. American Heart Association. September 15, 2025. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-initiative-launched-to-improve-care-for-people-with-certain-types-of-heart-failure
3. Shah SJ. Why we should care about who cares for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Circ Heart Fail. 2022;15(8):e009867. doi:10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.122.009867
4. Diastolic heart failure: HFPEF, left-sided heart failure, symptoms. Cleveland Clinic website. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22950-diastolic-heart-failure