HJLR Nov/Dec 2018

Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK  I  NOV / DEC 2018 53 Peyton Card, MD Cardiologist Arkansas Heart Hospital In addition to exercising, our patients have regularly scheduled consultations and classes with our Registered Dietitian and chefs, who hold lectures, grocery shopping field trips, and cooking classes to show the patients how to prepare and eat the heart healthy Pritikin diet. They also attend reg- ularly scheduled healthy minds sessions where they meet with a licensed therapist to assist with depression, stress, and overall acceptance of their health condition. Our patients are monitored on telemetry while exercising, and our facility has a full-time in-house supervising physician at all times. By the completion of our program, we have seen improvement in not only their cardiac performance status, but also significant im- provements in depression, blood glucose control, body fat reduction, and overall quality of life. ICR has proven to be effective in this pa- tient population regardless of physical con- dition before the cardiac event or procedure. Medicare acknowledges this and provides reimbursement for ICR. In addition to re- habilitating many Arkansas Heart Hospi- tal patients, we also gladly accept referrals from outside providers. Patients can keep their current medical providers and are wel- comed for their ICR treatment without the intent of converting their overall cardiac care to the AHH system. In addition to the Little Rock location, there is also an ICR fa- cility in Russellville to better serve patients in that area. Mayo Clinic Proceedings has shown that “increasing CR participation from 20 percent to 70 percent would save 25,000 lives and prevent 180,000 hospital- izations annually in the United States.” 2 ICR is a vital part of the Million Hearts nation- wide initiative, and Strong Hearts’ mission is to complement the referring physician’s treatment plan by educating and empower- ing the patients to implement lifestyle modi- fications. By increasing utilization of ICR through the Strong Hearts Rehabilitation Center, Arkansans can get back to living life on their terms. n References 1 Smith SC, Benjamin EJ, Bonow RO, et al. AHA/ ACCF secondary prevention and risk reduction therapy for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease: 2011 update: a guideline from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology Foundation endorsed by the World Heart Federation and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;58(23):2432-46. 2 Ades PA, Keteyian SJ, Wright JS, et al. Increas- ing Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation From 20% to 70%: A Road Map From the Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Collaborative. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(2):234-242. Dr. Card is anArkansas native originally fromMag- nolia. He attended LouisianaTech University , where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chem- istry. He went on to attend medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine. He is currently one of the medical providers at the Arkansas Heart Hospital Strong Hearts Rehabilita- tion Center. Shonda Harper is exercising on the NuStep with Damon Gilbert, which is similar to a seated elliptical. This machine is total body movement focused around pushing and pulling equally with arms and legs. Denise Cole is exercising on the Arm Ergometer, with Anfernee Floyd. This machine is used to increase strength and endurance in the upper body by moving anterior and posterior with the arms.