COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) funding for remote and hybrid cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is coming to an end. Beyond the value of mitigating infection risk during COVID, remote and hybrid CR have proven the additional benefits of overcoming social disparities of care by reaching a wider spectrum of eligible patients including those living remotely and with poor access to site-based programs. The loss of PHE funding for remote and hybrid CR may signify a major setback.

In this episode, Dan Forman, MD, FACC, Todd Brown, MD, FACC, and Steven Keteyian, PhD discuss current CR funding criteria in relation to CMS and other 3rd party payers. Optimal strategies to provide CR in this dynamic healthcare context will also be discussed.

Related References:

1. Beatty AL, Beckie TM, Dodson J, et al. A new era in cardiac rehabilitation delivery: research gaps, questions, strategies, and priorities. Circulation 2023;147:254-266.
2. Keteyian SJ, Ades PA, Beatty AL, et al. A review of the design and implementation of a hybrid cardiac rehabilitation program: an expanding opportunity for optimizing cardiovascular care. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev 2022;42:1-9.
3. Keteyian SJ, Grimshaw C, Brawner CA, et al. A comparison of exercise intensity in hybrid versus standard Phase Two cardiac rehabilitation. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev 2021;41:19-22.
4. Beatty AL, Brown TM, Corbett M, et al. Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Think Tank: accelerating new care models. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2021;Sep 30:[ePub ahead of print].