Approximately 6.2 million adults in the United States had a diagnosis of heart failure between 2013-2016, and the number of heart failure patients is expected to increase to >8 million adults by 2030. Heart failure is associated with significant mortality - 1 in 8 deaths has heart failure mentioned on the death certificate - and hospitalizations and readmissions are common. The cost of heart failure readmissions is estimated to be over $2.4 billion in the United States. Additionally, the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program was enacted to reduce reimbursement for readmission services, in order to encourage improved care coordination at index discharge. While many readmissions following a heart failure hospitalization may be unavoidable, there are many opportunities for health care providers and institutions to improve care, quality, and coordination that can potentially reduce adverse outcomes.
The purpose of the OVERCOME-HF registry is to collect and analyze data on all patients discharged from Michigan Medicine following a heart failure hospitalization in order to evaluate our current programs and determine which variables affect outcomes (e.g. ED visits, readmissions, death). The study seeks to improve quality of care and inform best practices for these patients. Data collected include: limited demographic data, disease-specific data, past medical history, medications, inpatient clinical course data, and follow-up data up to 5 years post-index discharge. Due to the extensive nature of the data form, the registry has partnered with the Data Office for Clinical and Translational Research (DOCTR) to obtain data directly from the electronic medical record.
Nearly 14,000 heart failure hospitalizations for over 7,800 unique patients have been added to the database. Additional variables added to the registry in 2022 include: additional medications (e.g. SGLT2 inhibitors, vericiguat, in-hospital medications), in-hospital measures (e.g. inputs and outputs), additional laboratories and vitals, and nursing workload acuity data. Initial projects planned include assessing medication optimization and the safety, efficacy of SGLT2 inhibitors in this population, and outcomes based on new heart failure classifications.