The American Heart Association has launched a new three-year initiative to improve in-hospital care for people with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). These conditions collectively account for up to 75% of all heart failure cases yet have substantially limited clinical research and treatment evidence compared to other heart failure types. The IMPLEMENT-EF quality improvement initiative will address these challenges by mapping gaps in the patient journey to identify unmet needs and define ideal care models.
Treatment for HFpEF and HFmrEF requires earlier recognition and prompt initiation of scientific evidence-based therapies to improve health outcomes. HFpEF means an individual has heart failure but ejection fraction remains 50% or higher, while HFmrEF means ejection fraction is reduced to 41%-49%. Supported by Bayer, the initiative will engage a network of multidisciplinary care teams, including pharmacists, to ensure patients receive and take appropriate medications, raise provider awareness of best care practices, and improve adherence to evidence-based therapies using insights from Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure data. Findings will inform the Association's broader approach to patient care and help scale effective, replicable models nationwide.
The initiative includes professional educational offerings such as a podcast series, eLearning module, and live presentations. A Science Advisory Panel will guide development of these educational materials. Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, stated that improving care for these heart failure types demands a coordinated, team-based approach beyond clinical knowledge. Forty hospitals have been recruited for the inaugural program, providing teams with opportunities to collaborate with other facilities and nationally recognized experts, access exclusive educational resources, and share successful quality improvement models.
Robert Perkins, M.D., M.P.H., FACP, vice president of U.S. medical affairs cardiovascular and renal at Bayer, emphasized the commitment to advancing science that transforms patient care in areas where evidence and treatment gaps persist. The initiative matters because it addresses a critical healthcare disparity affecting millions of patients who have historically received less research attention despite representing the majority of heart failure cases. By focusing on implementation science and multidisciplinary collaboration, this effort could establish standardized care protocols that reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life for patients with these understudied conditions. The program's national scale and emphasis on replicable models suggest potential for widespread healthcare system transformation in heart failure management. Visit heart.org/IMPLEMENTEF for updates on insights from the initiative.
