New Virtual Program Aims to Expand Access to Cardiac Rehabilitation

With the goal of expanding access to cardiac rehabilitation, Tampa General Heart and Vascular Institute and Recora are working together to implement a virtual recovery program, allowing patients to recover from home.

Tampa General Heart and Vascular Institute is a part of Tampa General Hospital (TGH), a nonprofit academic medical center with 1,040 beds. It is a Level I trauma center and includes a rehabilitation center and 17 primary care offices.

Recora aims to improve heart health through its Cardiac Recovery Program, a service that allows patients to recover from cardiac events using online programs.

Through the new collaboration, TGH and Recora will join forces to implement the Cardiac Recovery Program at the hospital. 

“Driving innovation and operational excellence through strategic collaborations is a pathway to providing advanced health care to our patients and their families every day,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, in a press release. “Our new partnership with Recora brings cardiac rehabilitation care into patients’ homes – providing a convenient and impactful program that improves access and the quality of care.”

The Recora Cardia Recovery Program includes providing patients with a Recora Recovery Kit, a personalized at-home care plan, and access to a multidisciplinary care team of physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, health coaches, and dietitians.

The recovery kit includes an internet-enabled tablet device, along with tools like resistance bands and blood pressure monitors. The at-home program provides virtual sessions accompanied by educational tools, support groups, and a chat service that allows for consistent communication with the care team.

Further, the Recora Cardiac Recovery Program extends past 12 weeks of rehabilitation services to enable comprehensive care management, according to the press release.

"Today, one in four people in the U.S. die of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although cardiac rehabilitation is considered the standard of care, just 16 percent of eligible patients start the program and 26 percent finish all sessions. Tampa General has made the decision to change that,” said Recora CEO Abhishek Chandra in the press release.

Recent research has shown that home-based and virtual cardiac care services can improve care. 

A study published in August found that home-based cardiac rehabilitation led to superior results compared with center-based cardiac rehabilitation. Researchers came to this conclusion after conducting a study comparing the two methods. The study showed that those in the home-based care group had lower hospitalization rates.

In February, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital physicians tested a robotic tele-ultrasound system that allows patients to participate in diagnostic cardiac ultrasounds remotely. The team said that the system has the potential to provide various benefits, such as improved access, a reduction in travel times, and earlier disease detection.