NUMC’S CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN NORTH SHORE-LIJ’S FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE STUDY ON BENEFITS OF TELEHEALTH FOR HEART FAILURE PATIENTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 18, 2013

PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055

NUMC’S CARDIOLOGY DEPARTMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN NORTH SHORE-LIJ’S FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE STUDY ON BENEFITS OF TELEHEALTH FOR HEART FAILURE PATIENTS

East Meadow, NY…….The department of cardiology at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC), under the leadership of Amgad Makaryus, MD, FACC, FACP, FASE, FSCCT, has been selected by the North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, to serve as the site for research to study the benefits of telehealth for minority patients suffering from chronic heart failure. The Feinstein Institute has been approved to receive a $1.35 million research award from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study if telehealth programs are effective self-management tools for patients with chronic disease. By using video and other telecommunications technologies, the team will be able to remotely monitor and check vital signs in the homes of elderly African-American and Latino patients following their discharge from NUMC. NUMC will serve as the site for enrollment of these patients from disparate communities.

In a letter dated October 2, 2013, to Dr. Makaryus, Renee Pekmezaris, PhD, Vice President of Community Health and Health Services Research at the NS-LIJ Health System, wrote: “I am pleased to announce that the research project “Telehealth Self-Management Program in Older Adults Living with Heart Failure in Health Disparity Communities” has been approved for funding by PCORI. This study will exclusively enroll African-American and Latino patients upon discharge from NUMC. The prevalence of heart failure is more than 25% greater among African-Americans than Whites, and is growing rapidly in Latino populations as well.”

Dr. Pekmezaris will lead the research project in which Dr. Makaryus and NuHealth’s heart failure team which includes Deborah Ahern, ANP-BC, CHFN, clinical director of the heart failure program and Lorinda Bauer, RN, MBA, administrative director of cardiac services, will serve to advise and guide the study team to ensure that the research questions and the conduct of the research remain patient-oriented. In Dr. Pekmezaris’ study, health care providers will conduct weekly video visits with patients, utilizing a computer monitor in the patients’ home, while patients will monitor their own conditions daily. Input from patients and caregivers will be gathered at multiple points during the research so necessary adjustments in the intervention process can be made to ensure that patients are compliant and satisfied with the system.

“We are delighted to participate in the Feinstein Institute’s study in which a number of our Latino and African-American patients will be enrolled upon discharge from NUMC, into a telehealth management program consisting of weekly nursing video visits and daily patient vital sign uploads to determine its effectiveness. With the prevalence of heart failure being higher for these groups than Caucasians, it is crucial that we find new, improved and cost effective approaches to caring for minorities with chronic heart failure, with patients taking a more active role to improve their health,” stated Dr. Makaryus. “We are hoping through this study to have patients take a more active role in their care, with resulting improvements in their health and quality of life.”
ABOUT NUHEALTH

NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life.  Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community.  By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.

About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in many areas including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, human genetics, pulmonary hypertension, leukemia, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded toresearch centers. For more information, visit www.FeinsteinInstitute.org.