MUSChealth.org/heart | 15 MUSC HEALTH HEART & VASCULAR CENTER for heart failure patients. Their research confirmed that patients were missing appointments because of financial struggles, lack of transportation and a lack of understanding about the importance of follow-ups. “I noticed that patients who do come back often wonder, ‘Why am I here?’” Dr. Inampudi said. Understanding re-admission rates and follow-up appointment rates from a patient’s perspective helped the team create more efficient procedures. The Advanced Heart Failure Program now reports about a 100% scheduling rate for follow-ups and a reduced re-admission rate. “These are great accomplishments, but there is more to be done,” said Dr. Inampudi. There are many other changes on the horizon to improve the patient experience at the MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Center. Dr. Inampudi is adamant about improving the efficiency of getting prescribed medications to patients. For example, there are avenues to improve health literacy about the medical conditions patients have, he explained. The program recently released a phone application for heart failure patients that provides information about their condition, nutrition and exercise modalities and the benefits and impacts of specific medications. “It is easier to identify the day-to-day challenges in patients’ lives when you consider yourself a patient, too, and ask, ‘What do I need and want,’” Dr. Inampudi said. “Or ask, ‘If my mother, father, sister, brother or friend was living with heart failure, what would I want for them?”’ Dr. Chakradhari Inampudi specializes in treating patients with all forms of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, including patients with advanced heart failure requiring IV medications, left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and cardiac transplantation. “From their welcome through recovery, MUSC had a streamlined process that included confident, compassionate experts working collaboratively with me,” said Kathy Cooper
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