Research Proves Wellframe Improves Patient Adherence to Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs

The Journal of the American Heart Association highlights that patients using Wellframe’s mobile app were 1.8x more likely to complete the cardiac rehabilitation program

BOSTON, Aug. 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wellframe, the provider of the market-leading digital health management platform, announced that a peer-reviewed article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) confirms Wellframe’s effectiveness in improving patient adherence and outcomes for a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program at Boston Medical Center. The study found that patients using Wellframe’s mobile application were 1.8x more likely to complete the CR program compared to the control group, and also lost more weight.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death. It costs the U.S. health system $214 billion per year, according to the CDC. To address this health crisis, CR programs assess individual risk factors and outline a tailored health management, nutrition and exercise program accordingly. However, according to a recent study of Medicare beneficiaries, only about one-fourth of patients prescribed outpatient CR programs participate, and among those who do participate, only 27% complete the course. In this JAHA-published study, the completion rate was 67% in the control group and 82% in the group using Wellframe.

Wellframe provides a solution for digital care management of patients through a mobile application that features interactive daily checklists, on-demand education, support materials, and much more. The platform also connects patients and clinicians through secure mobile messaging. The platform can be used for members with any condition or combination of conditions. This is especially important in a cardiac rehabilitation context, where many patients may have multiple concurrent conditions.

The research studied enrollees of a Boston Medical Center CR program from 2016 to 2019. Enrollees were offered either non-digital offerings or Wellframe’s digital health management platform. Enrollees had a mean age of 59 years of age, 32% were women and 42% were Black. The study’s findings for those using the Wellframe mobile application, include:

• 80.2% program completion rate for the digital health CR group (1.8x higher than the standard group)
• 17% more attendees to prescribed sessions
• Slightly greater weight loss (-2.19 lbs) compared to the standard group
• Women and minorities responded even more positively to Wellframe compared to the standard group

“With a diverse and urban population with various socioeconomic backgrounds, it was encouraging to see how using articles and videos on a mobile platform could make such a difference in the outcomes of patients with heart disease,” said Gary Balady, MD, director of non-invasive cardiovascular labs and preventive cardiology at Boston Medical, and co-author of the JAHA article.

“Heart disease is often a ‘silent’ condition that can wreak havoc on patients and the healthcare system alike,” said Dr. Trishan Panch, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Wellframe. “Cardiac rehabilitation programs are incredibly useful in reducing the mortality rate of heart disease up to 34%, but as little as 14% of eligible patients will participate or complete these programs. The findings of the Journal of the American Heart Association show that the approach needs to change. Wellframe is helping to bring these programs to the 21st-century by efficiently, effectively, and proactively managing and improving health outcomes. Our high-touch care paired with high tech moves care management—for people with any condition—from a transactional, episodic experience to a continuous, relationship-driven, and rewarding one. We’ve seen that this approach generates transformative results in our work with health plans and providers and we are delighted to see similar gains here in cardiac rehabilitation.”

The full peer-reviewed article can be found in the Journal of the American Heart Association here. To review a snapshot of the findings, check out Wellframe’s website here.

About Wellframe

Wellframe strategically partners with health plans nationwide to reimagine the relationship between plans and members. Our digital health management solutions for care management and advocacy enable a level of care and support that empowers people and organizations to achieve their best. By combining innovative solutions, strategic partnership and passionate conviction, Wellframe creates measurable impact on lives, at scale.

For more information on Wellframe, visit www.wellframe.com.

Media Contacts:
Ali Nix
(339) 227-0583
wellframe@highwirepr.com