By Wen-Chih “Hank” Wu, MD, MPH, and David Prince, MD

When select stakeholders were summoned to London this August to discuss cross-border cooperation in cardiac prevention and rehabilitation, AACVPR savored the opportunity to ‘check the pulse’ of our discipline in other countries.  

Who Was There

As the association’s sitting President and President-Elect, we were thrilled to attend the first-ever Global Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Forum, which sought to tap the collective brainstorming power of multidisciplinary leaders and experts from around the world. The invitation came from the International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (ICCPR) and the SOLVE-CHD research program, which welcomed 50 additional representatives from more than 40 organizations based in 20 different countries. Participants traveled from as far away as Australia, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Malawi, and Singapore for the half-day session. All were driven by a common purpose: to hear one another’s experiences and challenges and to explore novel strategies and solutions for the future.

What We Talked About

The program focused on two central themes of “Global Unity” and “Quality and Outcomes.” Each was addressed initially in small, break-out discussions that gave way to broader discourse among the group as a whole. During the first half of the program, attendees put our heads together to flesh out pragmatic and viable strategies that might enhance global collaboration and unity in cardiac prevention and rehabilitation — where there is a need for greater access, improved patient outcomes, and added value for resources invested.

After a break for afternoon tea — we were in England, after all! — the agenda continued, with the focus turning to potential ways to optimize quality and outcomes of cardiac prevention and rehabilitation.

Throughout the program, there appeared to be great interest in the current CR landscape in America, given that our health care system differs so drastically from elsewhere in the world. AACVPR has a long-standing history of supporting the development of CR professionals and advancing the field in our country. The other attendees were interested and impressed by the resources AACVPR provides and its many accomplishments. We, in turn, were happy to contribute to the dialogue and help fill some of the knowledge gaps through our unique insights.

At the same time, we recognized that it was equally important for AACVPR to learn what has and has not worked for other forum participants, as our missions and goals related to access, outcomes, and professional training and advocacy are closely aligned. In particular, there was an opportunity to hear the experiences of countries where virtual rehab is reimbursed — unlike here in the United States, where it is not but (in our opinion) should be.

Key Takeaways

The last 35 minutes before the event wrapped up were dedicated to summarizing and prioritizing the different strategies identified, discussing next steps, and capturing final thoughts from participants. From AACVPR’s perspective, perhaps the most interesting and unique solutions coming out of this meeting of the minds was the idea to re-brand CR: first, at the level of referring clinicians, by helping them to craft a strong message. At the same time, there’s a clear need to shift patient perceptions to remove negativity (i.e., rehabbing from something “bad”) and/or overly simplistic connotations (i.e., equating it with “a gym”). Changing how the public — and politicians — look at cardiac rehabilitation also might help with advocacy, participants agreed.

We left London — like our counterparts — uplifted, energized, and optimistic about the future. After discovering that we share many of the same barriers despite our geographic diversity, the idea of global alignment on efforts to address gaps and improve CR as we know it took on new urgency. On a personal level, the AACVPR delegation to the event truly appreciated the opportunity to meet and establish connections with global partners and plant the seeds of future collaboration and information exchange. It was especially rewarding to see such a high level of enthusiasm and appreciation for AACVPR as an organization, as well as the desire by other parties to grow their relationships with us.

For the next global forum, which we hope and assume will happen, we’d love to see AACVPR be part of the planning process and help shape the agenda of discussion.

AACVPR president for 2023-2024, Wen-Chih “Hank” Wu, MD, MPH, is a cardiologist and director of the Lifespan Cardiovascular Wellness and Prevention Center in Rhode Island. He is on the faculty at Brown University and also serves as medical director of the home-based cardiac rehab program at the Providence VA health care system.

David Prince, MD, AACVPR's 2024-2025 president, is the Director of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. His interests include increasing access to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation throughout the health care spectrum.