Orlando Heart Specialists Selected for American College of Cardiology SMARTCare Program

ORLANDO, Fla., June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Physicians at Orlando Heart Specialists will have access to a unique set of tools to help them communicate and collaborate with their patients with heart disease through an innovative pilot program being implemented at selected health facilities in Florida and Wisconsin.

Orlando Heart Specialists is among just five sites in each of the two states selected to participate in the American College of Cardiology SMARTCare Program, which stands for Smarter Management And Resource use for Today's complex cardiac Care Program. The program is designed to support physicians and stable ischemic heart disease patients in making decisions together about care based on the patient's unique history and the latest treatment criteria.

"Participating in SMARTCare is such an honor.  The program empowers patients to be involved in their care, providing them knowledge and education via shared decision-making tools and personalized risk assessments. In addition, it empowers the physician with the latest research and knowledge from the American College of Cardiology at their fingertips.  This win/win will improve the quality of care, ensure better outcomes and reduce healthcare costs," said Kishore Ranadive, MD, FACC, FACP, FSCA&I, the President and Founder of Orlando Heart Specialists.

More often than not, there is no "one-size-fits-all" answer for patient care. Using SMARTCare, which brings together five decision-making tools, physicians will access appropriate use criteria and other resources based on the patient's history and symptoms. These tools include individualized patient cardiac risk profiles and electronic databases that allow the physician to readily access related treatment information at the right time. The SMARTCare tools are designed to further empower patients to become actively involved in the management of their care.

"We are fortunate that we have partnered with e-MDs, our EHR provider, to optimize the benefits of this technology. It was instrumental in helping us achieve the Bridges to Excellence Cardiology Practice Recognition for meeting rigorous thresholds established by the American College of Cardiology and Bridges to Excellence, as well as the SMARTCare Program criteria," stated Dr. Ranadive. "We're fortunate that we have implemented the foundation that allows us to provide our patients with the highest quality, most innovative care."

The ACC's Florida and Wisconsin chapters designed the SMARTCare program to reduce health care costs by providing tools for doctors and patients to communicate about options for their care. These tools help physicians apply the latest guidelines to the decision-making process and find a treatment that works for the patient. The program was made possible by a $15.8 million grant from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. The SMARTCare model is expected to save participating sites $42.2 million over the three-year pilot program, while also improving the decision-making process to benefit patients.

"A physician's best ally is a well-informed patient. The ACC SMARTCare Program offers physicians an opportunity to align their real-world experiences with the best evidence-based recommendations," said ACC President Kim Allan Williams, Sr., MD, FACC. "This will reduce unnecessary procedures and provide a mechanism for physicians and patients to partner in decisions on care."

"SMARTCare sites represent a variety of practices across Florida and Wisconsin and were selected based on their commitment to providing quality care. Orlando Heart Specialists' dedication to supporting the doctor-patient relationship and commitment to quality improvement through participation in registry programs will help make this program successful," O'Gara added. 

Orlando Heart Specialists is a full-service cardiovascular practice with seven locations that averages about 30,000 patient visits a year. It was awarded the Bridges to Excellence Cardiology Practice Recognition for meeting rigorous thresholds established by the American College of Cardiology and Bridges to Excellence in early 2012.  The practice has also received widespread recognition for its outstanding patient care, including a Florida Health Care Community Quality Award. For more information, visit www.orlandocardiology.com.

The American College of Cardiology is a 49,000-member medical society that serves as the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, clinical standards and practice guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care. It also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit acc.org.

The project described is supported by Grant Number 1C1CMS331322 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any of its agencies.

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SOURCE e-MDs

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