Major advancements have occurred in guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) for heart failure (HF) over the last decade. Various classes of drugs including beta-adrenergic receptor blockers, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors, etc. have demonstrated significant improvement in the quality of life, prevention of recurrent hospitalizations for HF, and reduction in overall morbidity and mortality. However, despite the billions of healthcare dollars and additional clinical resources invested into developing these evidence-based treatment regimens, a substantial proportion of the affected patient populations remains undertreated worldwide rendering GDMT unrealistic to implement broadly, particularly in the subgroup of patients with concomitant chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Several deterrents contribute to the low implementation rates of GDMT in HF with CKD including clinicians' therapeutic inertia and fear of inducing harm, poor coordination of care between inpatient and outpatient titration of medications, fragmented healthcare models, inaccessibility to specialists' support, and high-cost burden deeming certain medications unaffordable. These factors also primarily affect minority communities, patients among the lower socioeconomic strata, and individuals with limited health literacy who are unequally affected by higher rates of HF with CKD. Although current research can both qualify and quantify the benefits of the medications, minimal treatment prototypes exist to ensure that patients have and maintain access to these therapies, the frequent follow-up visits, and the surveillance screenings required to monitor long-term symptoms and potential medication side-effects.
This study aims to compare the effects of a co-localized multidisciplinary cardiorenal team supporting a primary care clinician versus the traditional referral-based care model, on the implementation rates of GDMT in patients with specifically heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and CKD. Investigators will conduct a single-center pragmatic randomized controlled trial that will compare the following approaches:
1\. Co-localized care with a telemedicine-based cardiorenal multidisciplinary team (cardiologist, nephrologist, and research coordinators) providing guidance and recommendations to the primary care clinician 2. A control group of usual care with a primary care clinician making referrals to a cardiologist or nephrologist "for-cause" as determined by the primary care clinician, to ultimately assess the rates of improvement in the implementation of GDMT. The research coordinators will also play a crucial role in identifying financial barriers, circumventing insurance and prior authorization issues, as well as monitoring medication side-effect profiles and potential drug-to-drug interactions as they pertain to each individual patient involved in the study.
