Heart Failure Process of Care Measures
Heart Failure is a weakening of the heart's pumping power. With heart failure, your body doesn't get enough oxygen and nutrients to meet its needs. These measures show some of the process of care provided for most adults with heart failure.

The proper treatment for heart failure depends on what area of your heart is affected. An important test is to check how your heart is pumping, called an “evaluation of the left ventricular systolic function.” It can tell your health care provider whether the left side of your heart is pumping properly. Other ways to check on how your heart is pumping include: your medical history, a physical examination, listening to your heart sounds, other tests as ordered by a physician (like an ECG, chest x0ray, blood work, and an echocardiogram). Higher percentages are better.

---

Heart Failure Patients Given ACE Inhibitor or ARB for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD)
April 2010 through March 2011

ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) are medicines used to treat patients with heart failure and are particularly beneficial in those patients with heart failure and decreased function of the left side of the heart. Early treatment with ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients who have heart failure symptoms or decreased heart function after a heart attack can also reduce their risk of death from future heart attacks. ACE inhibitors and ARBs work by limiting the effects of a hormone that narrows blood vessels, and may thus lower blood pressure and reduce the work the heart has to perform. Since the ways in which these two kinds of drugs work are different, your doctor will decide which drug is most appropriate for you. If you have a heart attack and/or heart failure, you should get a prescription for ACE inhibitors or ARBs if you have decreased heart function before you leave the hospital.

---

Heart Failure Patients Given Smoking Cessation Advice/Counseling
April 2010 through March 2011

Smoking increases your risk for developing blood clots and heart disease that can result in a heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Smoking causes your arteries to thicken and your blood vessels to narrow. Fat and plaque stick to the walls of your arteries, which makes it harder for blood to flow. Reduced blood flow to your heart may result in chest pain, high blood pressure, and an increased heart rate. Smoking is also linked to lung disease and cancer, and can cause premature death. It is important that you get information to help you quit smoking before you leave the hospital. Higher percentages are better.