Dr. Sandra Oliver-McNeil, clinical assistant professor of adult health in the Wayne State Department of Nursing, was selected by Beaumont Hospital to present her strategies for reducing re-admission rates of heart-failure patients during its Practical Update in Cardiology Conference.

Oliver-McNeil was the first nurse ever given the opportunity to present her findings to the doctors and staff in the cardiovascular department due to her strong background in cardiology and research on improving 30-day re-admissions for heart failure patients.

As of February 2013, Medicare and Medicaid will no longer willing to pay for readmissions regardless of the reason for the patients return, Oliver-McNeil said. This means that after 30 days from the discharge date, some heart-failure patients will not have medical coverage to support them in the event that they have to return for additional care after surgery. Without reimbursement, doctors, nurses and staff in the may have a hard time maintaining and providing care for heart-failure patients.

Treatment primarily focuses on reducing symptoms and preventing the progress of the disease involved from worsening. Oliver-McNeil has found that 12 percent of patients who return after 30 days suffer from low injection fraction, where not enough blood is pumped from the left ventricle of the heart.

She suggests that in addition to looking at symptoms of heart failure, doctors should also check for other potential health risks in order to detect hidden abnormalities that could trigger complications during procedures such as the insertion of an implantable defibrillator. Before the patient is released from the hospital, doctors should also do post-procedural follow-ups to check the implants and schedule additional appointments.

The risk of cardiovascular disease is at large, and there are many possible ways to damage the heart after surgery, Oliver-McNeil said.

“Let’s say the patient leaves the hospital and attends a barbecue or continue a cigarette habit,” she said. “These are things the insurance company does not consider.”

Being aware of all possible risks and understanding the significance of after-surgery complications is crucial, she said.

“Our goal as health care professionals is to be knowledgeable in providing patients with services that improve their health,” she added.

Her dedication to research in cardiology and patient recovery serves as a bridge to her path in the discovery of re-admission technology.

“My interest in this area of research is to improve procedures on an individual basis and a system basis,” Oliver-McNeil said.

Physicians in the heart and vascular departments were receptive to her strategies, she said, and have already begun implementing new strategies to improve re-admission rates of heart-failure patients.