Outpatient cardiology care improves survival odds after heart attack

70652986 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 05:27:54 -0400

Previous research suggests that patients may live longer if they are under a cardiologist's care while hospitalized for myocardial infarction. In a new study, John Ayanian, Harvard Medical School associate professor of medicine in the Department of Health Care Policy, and colleagues examined the records of patients covered under Medicare to see whether this held true for outpatient care. They found that elderly heart attack patients who visit a cardiologist's office in the months after leaving the hospital are less likely to die within two years than patients who visit only their primary care doctor, and patients who visit both a cardiologist and a primary care doctor have even better outcomes.

all John Ayanian stories

Outpatient cardiology care improves survival odds after heart attack