Financial Barriers Impeding Optimal Heart Failure Treatment

EP: 1.Identifying Key Risk Factors for Heart Failure

EP: 2.Socioeconomic Factors Impacting Development of Cardiac Disease

EP: 3.Distinguishing Between Heart Failure Classifications

EP: 4.Staging Heart Failure and the Importance of Early Diagnosis

EP: 5.The Role of the Primary Care Physician in Heart Failure Management

EP: 6.Four Pillars of Heart Failure Therapy

EP: 7.Selecting Optimal First-line Therapy for Patients Diagnosed with Heart Failure

EP: 8.Key Takeaways From Heart Failure Clinical Trials

EP: 9.Navigating the Patient Journey Through Heart Failure Diagnosis

EP: 10.Strategies for Treating Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)

EP: 11.Treatment Optimization Challenges Associated With Heart Failure

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EP: 12.Financial Barriers Impeding Optimal Heart Failure Treatment

EP: 13.Trajectory of Heart Failure Treatment Strategies

EP: 14.Key Takeaways from Experts in Heart Failure Management

This is a video synopsis/summary of a panel discussion involving Robert Groves, MD; Eugene E. Wright Jr, MD; Nancy Albert, PhD, CCNS, CCRN, CHFN, NE-BC, FAHA, FCCM, FHFSA, FAAN; Nihar Desai, MD, MPH; and Kelly Marie Axsom, MD. The panel highlights cost as a major barrier to heart failure care, which affects access to medications and effective treatment. Even patients with insurance struggle with copays. Albert notes her center uses pharmacists to assist with prior authorizations and patient assistance programs for free medications, but this requires extensive time and resources. Individual providers cannot reasonably handle this alone. Wright stresses that creative solutions are possible with proper infrastructure and support teams. Desai discusses an analysis finding heart failure quadruple therapy costs Medicare beneficiaries more than $2200 out of pocket, which is likely unaffordable for many. Despite reducing hospitalizations and total costs, high out-of-pocket costs limit access to life-changing therapies. Policy changes are needed, such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s provisions for some cardiovascular medications. In summary, the panel emphasizes that addressing cost barriers will require both system-level changes and support for individual provider efforts to ensure evidence-based heart failure care is financially accessible.

Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by AJMC editorial staff.