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Study Finds Gaps in Heart Failure Care
from USA Today
Researchers have identified gaps in the quality of heart failure care provided to thousands of patients by cardiologists who don't always follow treatment guidelines.
The study of cardiologists in 167 community practices serving nearly 35,000 outpatients first identified the omissions and then sought to close them using a package of educational workshops, decision-support tools and reminders. The effort proved a success, says lead researcher Gregg Fonarow of UCLA.
"This is really the first true test of dedicated practice performance improvement in an outpatient setting," Fonarow said. But the study also promises to be controversial, doctors say, because it promoted a boost in the use of implanted devices called cardioverter-defibrillators made by study sponsor Medtronic.
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