CardioMEMS HF System Reduces 30-Day Readmission Rates, Data Shows

Patients with Class III heart failure who were treated with St. Jude Medical’s CardioMEMS HF System had a 58 percent lower rate of all-cause hospital readmissions and a 78 percent reduction in HF readmissions compared with patients receiving standard care, according to data from a pivotal trial. Both rates were gauged at 30 days.

The device could help hospitals avoid new government penalties for excess hospital readmissions imposed by the Affordable Care Act.

 The CHAMPION clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of CardioMEMs in patients 65 and older who were hospitalized for HF in the previous 12 months. The device is implanted in the pulmonary artery during a minimally invasive procedure, allowing for direct measurement of PA pressure via a miniaturized wireless monitoring sensor. This allows clinicians to alter drug treatments for patients with worsening HF before visible symptoms occur and hospitalization is needed, the company said. Patients can also transmit PA pressure data from their homes to their doctors.

In fiscal year 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services fined hospitals $227 million for excess readmissions related to HF and several other conditions, and that number is expected to rise to $428 million in fiscal 2015, the St. Paul, Minn., devicemaker said.
The results were presented Tuesday at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. — Kellen Owings

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