Elevating global heart failure care with new certification

American Heart Association’s international Heart Failure Center Certification will recognize hospitals dedicated to optimizing HF treatment, reducing readmissions

2025-03-27

(Press-News.org) DALLAS, March 27, 2025 — More than 56 million people globally live with heart failure (HF), which prevents the body from getting enough of the oxygen-rich blood it needs to work properly.[1]

While there is no cure for HF, many people with this condition can live full, enjoyable lives and disease progression can be slowed with the right treatment. Research shows that outcomes for patients with HF improve when health care professionals and hospitals provide guideline-directed medical therapies.

A new Heart Failure Center Certification is an effort from the American Heart Association, a global force for changing the future of health of all, to help reduce the more than 5 million years lived with disability due to HF around the world.[2] The hospital-based, continuous quality improvement program is being launched in 13 countries bringing this gold standard in HF care to communities outside the U.S. for the first time.

Heart Failure Center Certification will recognize hospitals dedicated to improving HF care in their communities. By promoting evidence-based treatments and seamless transitions from hospital to outpatient care, the certification strives to enhance patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.

“Aligned with the American Heart Association’s vision of changing the future of health for all, this certification aims to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular diseases by enabling more facilities across the globe to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based heart failure care,” said : D.P. Suresh, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer, incoming co-chair of the American Heart Association's International Committee and executive medical director of Florence Wormald Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth Physicians. “The science is clear: hospitals and the patients they serve benefit from a coordinated heart failure program.”

Certification standards are developed independently and overseen by mission-driven organizations with the clinical background required to focus on patient-centered quality health care, safety and value.

Learn more at heart.org/HeartFailureCertification.

Additional Resources:

Multimedia is available on the right column of release link Guiding heart failure teams to optimal patient care Abstract 12163: Initiation of Guideline Directed Medical Therapy at Hospital Discharge Improves Outcomes in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction | Circulation Abstract 17028: Characteristics and Short-Term Outcome of Patients in the Program “Get With the Guidelines” - One Vietnamese Center Registry | Circulation ###

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.   

[1] Burden, Trends, and Inequalities of Heart Failure Globally, 1990 to 2019. doi:10.1161/JAHA.122.027852.

[2] Burden, Trends, and Inequalities of Heart Failure Globally, 1990 to 2019 doi:10.1161/JAHA.122.027852; Significance of ischemic heart disease in patients with heart failure and preserved, midrange, and reduced ejection fraction Circ Heart Fail 2017;10:e003875; Fonarow G, et al. Characteristics, Treatments, and Outcomes of Patients With Preserved Systolic Function Hospitalized for Heart Failure: A Report From the OPTIMIZE-HF Registry. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;50:768–777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2007.04.064; Lloyd-Jones D, et al. Lifetime Risk for Developing Congestive Heart Failure: The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2022;106(24). https://doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.0000039105.49749.6F.

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