About Us
CHFCare Cardiology is an innovative approach to patient care. Our group of former (and recovering) medical school faculty specializes in the comprehensive management of patients with heart failure at all stages. We also specialize in management of patients with multiple chronic conditions in addition to their heart failure.
Our practice is program-driven. We pioneered development of specialized healthcare programs designed to assure quality without having to constantly measure for it (B.E.T.T.E.R. Care). We have developed programs for managing patients in the office, hospital, ICU, skilled nursing facilities, and for residents of assisted living centers.
Our practice’s focus on quality of life is not just for our patients but also for our team members. We have a productive and nurturing practice environment that values team members’ personal and professional well being above all else. This is because we believe patients benefit most when cared for by happy, healthy, and engaged professionals.
In 2005, Dr Agocha, as a young faculty member, gave a lecture to medical students and residents using a downward spiral diagram to depict the progressive nature of heart failure. Although the diagram has evolved (mostly due to improvements in PowerPoint), its essential message has not changed at all: heart failure remains a progressive condition which robs patients of their quality of life due to relentless symptoms, especially the shortness of breath and overwhelming tiredness.
In the 15 years since that first lecture only 3 new medications have been added to the treatment armamentarium for heart failure compared with hundreds of new cancer treatments over the same time frame. This is despite the fact that heart disease remains the number one killer in America and a third of those deaths are due to heart failure. Heart failure accounts for over 11 million clinic visits a year and causes more hospitalizations than all forms of cancer combined. Nearly 300,000 people die in the US from heart failure each year.
We chose to use the downward spiral as our logo to serve as a reminder of the amount of work that still needs to be done to help patients with this devastating condition. Not only are we committed to treating each patient with a personalized treatment plan, we remain steadfastly dedicated to the principles of academic medicine in our practice and actively engage in clinical research to find better solutions.
