Hammering Heart Failure: Exploring Which Interventions Improve Heart Failure Hospitalization Outcomes Across Twenty Hospitals.

Publication/Presentation Date

9-16-2026

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of hospitalization, mortality, and readmission. Despite evidence-based therapies, achieving consistent system-wide implementation remains challenging.

PROJECT RATIONALE: We evaluated the association of clinician education, incentive alignment, and electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support systems (CDSS) with Vizient risk-adjusted mortality index and 30-day readmission index across a 20-hospital health system.

PROJECT SUMMARY: Following a merger, hospitals served as natural control hospitals, received education/incentives alone (Cerner), or education/incentives plus EHR-CDSS (Epic). Education, incentives, and readmission case review were introduced on July 1, 2024, followed by HF-focused CDSS deployment in Epic on November 18, 2024. Compared with a seasonally matched controls, Epic hospitals demonstrated a 32% relative reduction in mortality index, whereas Cerner and control hospitals showed higher mortality ratios (1.55 and 1.23, respectively).

TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: Education, incentives, and case review were associated with improved readmission performance, whereas EHR-based CDSS was associated with reductions in HF mortality, suggesting a scalable strategy to improve outcomes.

Volume

31

Issue

37

First Page

109814

Last Page

109814

ISSN

2666-0849

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods

PubMedID

42752025

Department(s)

Administration and Leadership

Document Type

Article

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