Sentara RMH Opens Heart Failure Clinic

The cardiology specialists at Sentara RMH recently opened a specialty clinic to manage patients with heart failure. Patients recently discharged from the hospital with cardiac issues are being seen in the Heart Failure Clinic.

“Our goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and improve outcomes for these patients,” said Brad Rash, MD, FACC, medical director for Sentara Cardiology Specialists and for the Heart Failure Clinic. “We plan to achieve our goal by seeing patients within 3 to 7 days after discharge. This close follow-up will allow for timely assessment of patients’ medical therapy and diuretic adjustments, and will enable us to connect patients who need it to specialized cardiology care, such as electrophysiology to correct heart rhythm problems.”

Nurse practitioners Ambi Zeller and Elaine Clancey are the providers who primarily see patients in the new clinic. Clinic patients also have an assigned primary cardiologist to follow their progress.

“The Heart Failure Clinic is another example of the collaborative, patient-centered approach to care that is central to our practice at Sentara RMH,” said Dr. Rash. “We are pleased to offer this clinic to connect these patients to the services they need at a time when they need them the most.”  

Discharged patients do not need to do anything to be seen in the clinic. They are identified for referral by their inpatient physician or the inpatient heart failure nurse navigator, Dr. Rash said.