Medtronic initiates program to alleviate discrepancies of care
Medtronic will collaborate with the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) to initiate the Every Patient First Challenge health equity program and other collaboratives that will aid in decreasing the healthcare disparities that exist across the U.S.

Medtronic said the program will seek to provide better access of care to patients who need treatment. “Our goal with this initiative is to provide healthcare professionals with targeted, actionable strategies and partnership programs to help them overcome barriers to getting patients treatment for their cardiovascular disease,” said H. James Dallas, senior vice president of quality and operations at the company.

According to Minneapolis-based Medtronic, the program was initiated after the company looked at data from the IMPROVE HF registry that showed significant discrepancies within patient care, particularly for heart failure (HF). The results showed that women were less likely than men to receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), receive less education about their condition and were less likely to receive anticoagulation therapy for atrial fibrillation.

Under the program, Medtronic will launch a collaboration with the ACC and its racial and ethnic disparities in CV outcomes (CREDO) coalition that will aim to reduce the differences in the treatments of cardiovascular disease.

Additionally, the partnership with ABC will work with Every Patient First, a pilot program that will enroll cardiology practices to help measures and implement quality protocols and programs to improve adherence to established quality-based care guidelines.

According to Medtronic, Every Patient First will strive to address the disparities of care that exist due to socioeconomic and clinical factors.

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