To improve cardiovascular health, invest in prevention, say experts
October 18, 2024 – A crisis in primary care is one of the main reasons that the U.S. isn’t making enough headway in improving cardiovascular health, according to experts.
Cardiologists and clinicians interviewed in a pair of October 15 articles in STAT said that the nation’s health system needs to focus more on preventive care. The article noted that, according to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors are likely to increase by 2050, fueled by racial and ethnic disparities and an aging population.
Asaf Bitton, executive director of Ariadne Labs, a health systems innovation center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was one of the experts quoted. He said there hasn’t been enough investment in preventive systems. He believes that it’s possible to instill healthier behaviors if health systems prioritize it.
“We know how to deliver better cardiology, outpatient, and primary care,” he said. “And we know how to integrate behavioral health into patient care. It requires investment, focus, and discipline on the part of a health system to deliver what it ostensibly promises.”
Read the STAT articles:
11 experts on why gains in cardiovascular disease are stalling and what we can do about it
Heart disease experts in their own words: ‘This is solvable and this is preventable’
