Cardiac rehabilitation

Our cardiac rehab program is a multistep process. It involves an entire team of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and is a part of our broader, comprehensive heart care services.

Your care team may include:

• Your cardiologist
• Registered nurses
• Dietitians
• Exercise physiologists

Whether you've had a heart event, such as a heart attack, or a heart or vascular surgery, such as an angioplasty, our team will develop a program that's perfect for you.

Our program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. This certification is recognition of our commitment to improving the quality of our patients life by enhancing our standards of care.

We combine exercise with education to help rebuild your strength, endurance, emotional well-being and self-confidence. We'll help you learn how to make wiser food choices, cope with stress, manage your diabetes, if needed, and even quit smoking. Throughout this process, we will always work toward the goal of restoring your heart health and independence.

Our heart rehab program includes:

• An initial medical evaluation that assesses your physical abilities, medical limitations and other relevant conditions
• A medically supervised, monitored exercise program developed from your evaluation results
• Lifestyle education and one-on-one work with registered nurses, a dietitian and an exercise physiologist to help improve your overall well-being and reduce your risk of experiencing another life-threatening event, such as a heart attack or cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
• Ongoing support and a plan for continued progress with your lifestyle and exercise changes after your program is complete to help you achieve your individual goals

Individuals with any of the following conditions or who have received any of the following surgeries may qualify for our cardiac rehab program:

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
• Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
• Coronary artery disease (CAD) with chronic stable angina (chest pain)
• Heart attack within the last 12 months
• Heart transplantation
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
• Valve replacement or repair

Because a medical referral is required, contact your cardiologist for a referral to our program. Medicare and most private insurance companies do cover cardiac rehab. However, some providers may require prior authorization. We will verify your insurance before you enroll.

Dress in loose-fitting clothes, and wear shoes with good support. Do not smoke or drink caffeinated beverages two hours prior to exercise class. (Nicotine and caffeine can increase your heart rate.) Make sure you eat one to two hours before your exercise class. Take all medication as prescribed by your doctors.

You will be using your larger muscle groups of the arms and legs to gain more endurance and strength. This is called aerobic exercise. We’ll select a special group of exercises on machines that best suit your needs. You may exercise on treadmills, sitting stair-steppers, bicycles or arm machines. You may also use free weights and stretching bands.

You will be connected to an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine while you exercise in cardiac rehab, so we can monitor your heart rate and rhythm. Your blood pressure and activity level are also tracked as you are closely supervised by our teams. Any concerns you have about your body’s response to your exercises or medications will be relayed by our staff to your doctors. We also help you learn what you can do to decrease your risk of future heart problems.

Most people come three times a week for 12 to 18 weeks, or for a total of approximately 36 visits. The duration of the program is based on your own rate of progress and can sometimes be limited by insurance coverage.