ABSTRACT
The delivery of healthcare services has changed over the past decade as healthcare providers are encouraged to deliver more extensive services at lower cost with fewer resources. Outpatient services are growing while inpatient lengths of stay continue to decrease. The emphasis is on decreasing the number of hospitalizations even further. In cardiac care, primary prevention efforts are essential to minimizing initial acute cardiac admissions. Likewise, treatments and programs focused on secondary prevention are needed to decrease readmissions in patients known to have cardiac disease.
