Congestive Heart Failure Readmission Rates Decline After Patient Navigator Implementation in COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalizations, with a growing prevalence and a high readmission rate. Hospitalization and readmission affect both patient stress and hospital finances. The COVID-19 pandemic and broader economic conditions placed additional stress on hospitals in recent years. In response, our hospital implemented a heart failure navigator program during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent readmissions. We monitored the readmission and mortality rates of patients hospitalized for heart failure in 2018 and 2019 (before implementation) against 2020 and 2021 (after implementation). There were 235 readmissions with 28 deaths before implementation and 156 readmissions with 17 deaths after implementation. The reduction in readmission was significant (p = .0185), with an insignificant reduction in mortality (p = .2674). This indicates that the reduction in readmission rate was secondary to navigator implementation, not patient mortality. In conclusion, a multifactorial HF navigator can reduce HF readmission, even when implemented during a pandemic that causes increased patient morbidity.