Low Prescription Rates Continue among Heart Failure Patients

Peter Gregor, MD, practices as a cardiologist in Owensboro, Kentucky. With more than 40 years of experience, Peter Gregor, MD, is interested in several heart-related subjects, including heart failure.

The University of California, Los Angeles, recently released the results of a study on people with heart failure. Researchers looked at more than 3,500 patients from cardiology and primary care practices that were part of the Change the Management of Patients with Heart Failure registry (CHAMP-HF) and compared the new results to those from a previous study conducted between 2007 and 2009.

In the prior study, researchers discovered that many patients with heart failure were not receiving the recommended doses of three primary medications as laid out by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and Heart Failure Society of America. These medications are important for helping patients with heart failure live longer.

According to the results of the first study, 27 to 67 percent of patients were not prescribed these medications at all. Those who were prescribed them were given doses lower than what was recommended. In fact, only about 1 percent of participants were prescribed the target doses of all three types of medication.

Despite taking place a decade later, this new study found that prescribing habits have not improved. Many patients are still not being prescribed the recommended doses of critical heart failure medication, thus suggesting that new strategies may be necessary to ensure these patients are cared for properly.