Celebrating Heart Month: The Role of Digital Health in Cardiovascular Care

February is Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and encouraging people to take proactive steps in preventing heart disease. With heart disease remaining the leading cause of death worldwide, it’s more critical than ever to leverage innovative solutions for better prevention, monitoring, and management. Digital health technologies, including chronic care management (CCM), remote patient monitoring (RPM), and advanced cardiovascular risk stratification, are revolutionizing how we approach heart health, particularly for conditions like hypertension, heart failure, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). 

Chronic Care Management (CCM) Programs: Enhancing Long-Term Heart Health 

CCM programs offer a structured approach to managing chronic cardiovascular conditions, ensuring continuous care beyond the traditional episodic model. Patients with two or more chronic conditions, including hypertension and heart failure, can benefit from CCM services, which include: 

• Regular check-ins with healthcare providers. 
• Medication reconciliation and adherence support. 
• Coordination of care among specialists. 
• Lifestyle and behavioral counseling to support heart health. 

These programs have been shown to improve patient engagement, reduce hospitalizations, and enhance overall cardiovascular health outcomes. Additionally, providers can bill Medicare for CCM services, making it financially viable to offer comprehensive, long-term management for chronic heart conditions. 

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) for Hypertension and Heart Failure 

Many patients enrolled in CCM programs can also benefit from RPM, which provides real-time data on patients’ heart health, enabling earlier interventions and better long-term outcomes. Providers can bill Medicare for RPM and CCM services concurrently, creating a sustainable model for continuous care. 

Hypertension Management 

Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, yet it often goes undiagnosed or undertreated. RPM allows patients to regularly track their blood pressure at home, with readings automatically transmitted to their healthcare providers. This approach: 

• Provides continuous monitoring beyond office visits. 
• Reduces white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension effects.
• Enhances patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans. 
• Enables timely medication adjustments and lifestyle interventions. 

Heart Failure Management 

For heart failure patients, RPM plays a crucial role in preventing hospitalizations and improving quality of life. Key metrics such as weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels can be monitored remotely, helping providers detect early signs of decompensation. Studies have shown that RPM: 

• Reduces hospital readmissions. 
• Improves patient outcomes through early intervention. 
• Helps personalize treatment strategies based on real-time data. 

New ASCVD Risk Assessment Codes: Reimbursement for Preventive Cardiology 

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and it’s important to identify patients at risk of developing ASCVD proactively to mitigate costly and potentially deadly outcomes down the line. While an effective way to do this has existed for many years—the ASCVD risk calculator—most primary care physicians don’t have a systematic approach available within their clinical workflows to effectively use it, and until this year, there was no reimbursement mechanism to incentivize providers to offer this proactive care. 
 
In 2024, new ASCVD risk stratification codes were introduced to enhance preventive cardiology efforts. These codes: 

• Provide new reimbursement opportunities for ASCVD risk assessment and management. 
• Allow providers to better categorize patients based on risk factors such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes status, and smoking history. 
• Facilitate personalized preventive strategies, ensuring high-risk individuals receive the most appropriate interventions. 

By incorporating these codes into clinical practice, providers can improve documentation, enhance patient care, and streamline insurance reimbursements for preventive cardiovascular services. 

The Future of Heart Health is Digital 

As we celebrate Heart Month, it's clear that digital health innovations are paving the way for a more proactive, data-driven approach to cardiovascular care. CCM programs, RPM, and ASCVD risk assessment reimbursement are empowering both patients and providers to prevent, monitor, and manage heart disease more effectively than ever before. By embracing these technologies, we can take significant strides in reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease and ensuring a healthier future for all.  

Rimidi offers CCM, RPM, & More in one platform.  

If you're a healthcare provider, consider integrating CCM and RPM programs into your practice to improve patient outcomes while benefiting from concurrent Medicare reimbursements. Rimid enables proactive, guideline-based care with EHR-integrated software, clinical services, and a broad portfolio of connected devices.  Learn more about how we support cardiovascular care here.