Fredonia B. Williams

Health Status Disparities by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in Outpatients With Heart Failure

OBJECTIVES This study sought to describe the health status of outpatients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) by sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). BACKGROUND Although a primary goal in treating patients with HFrEF is to optimize health status, whether disparities by sex, race/ethnicity, and SES exist is unknown. METHODS In the CHAMP-HF (Change the Management of Patients with Heart Failure) registry, the associations among sex, race, and SES and health status, as measured by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-overall summary (KCCQ-os) score (range 0 to 100; higher scores indicate better health status) was compared among 3,494 patients from 140 U.S. clinics. SES was categorized by total household income. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression estimated differences in KCCQ-os score after adjusting for 31 patient characteristics and 10 medications. RESULTS Overall mean KCCQ-os scores were 64.2 ± 24.0 but lower for women (29% of sample; 60.3 ± 24.0 vs. 65.9 ± 24.0, respectively; p < 0.001), for blacks (60.5 ± 25.0 vs. 64.9 ± 23.0, respectively; p < 0.001), for Hispanics (59.1 ± 21.0 vs. 64.9 ± 23.0, respectively; p < 0.001), and for those with the lowest income (<

Health Status Variation Across Practices in Outpatients With Heart Failure: Insights From the CHAMP-HF (Change the Management of Patients With Heart Failure) Registry

25,000; mean: 57.1 vs. 63.1 to 74.7 for other income categories; p < 0.001). Fully adjusted KCCQ-os scores were 2.2 points lower for women (95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.8 to −0.6; p = 0.007), no different for blacks (p = 0.74), 4.0 points lower for Hispanics (95% CI: −6.6 to −1.3; p = 0.003), and lowest in the poorest patients (4.7 points lower than those with the highest income (95% CI: 0.1 to 9.2; p = 0.045; p for trend = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Among outpatients with HFrEF, women, blacks, Hispanics, and poorer patients had worse health status, which remained significant for women, Hispanics, and poorer patients in fully adjusted analyses. This suggests an opportunity to further optimize treatment to reduce these observed disparities.

Characteristics and Treatments of Patients Enrolled in the CHAMP‐HF Registry Compared With Patients Enrolled in the PARADIGM‐HF Trial

Background: Although a key treatment goal for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is to optimize their health status (their symptoms, function, and quality of life), the variability across outpatient practices in achieving this goal is unknown. Methods and Results: In the CHAMP-HF (Change the Management of Patients With Heart Failure) registry, associations between baseline practice characteristics and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) Overall Summary (OS) and Symptom Frequency (SF) scores were assessed in 3494 patients across 140 US practices using hierarchical regression after accounting for 23 patient and 11 treatment characteristics. We then calculated an adjusted median odds ratio to quantify the average difference in likelihood that a patient would have excellent (KCCQ-OS, ≥75) health status or minimal (monthly or fewer) symptoms (KCCQ-SF, ≥75) when treated at one practice versus another, at random. The mean (±SD) KCCQ-OS and KCCQ-SF were 64.2±24 and 68.9±25.6, with 40% (n=1380) and 50% (n=1760) having KCCQ scores ≥75, respectively. The adjusted median odds ratio across practices, for KCCQ-OS ≥75, was 1.70 (95% confidence interval, 1.54–1.99; P<0.001) indicating a median 70% higher odds of a patient having good-to-excellent health status when treated at one random practice versus another. In regard to KCCQ-SF, the adjusted median odds ratio for KCCQ-SF ≥75 was 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.41–1.76; P=0.001). Conclusions: In a large, contemporary registry of outpatients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, we observed significant practice-level variability in patients’ health status. Quantifying patients’ health status as a measure of quality should be explored as a foundation for improving care. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.centerwatch.com. Unique identifier: TX144901.Background While a key treatment goal for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is to optimize their health status (their symptoms, function, and quality of life), the variability across outpatient practices in achieving this goal is unknown.

HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION CARE PATTERNS IN THE OUTPATIENT PRACTICE SETTING: INITIAL FINDINGS FROM CHAMP-HF

Background The US Food and Drug Administration approved sacubitril/valsartan for patients with chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction in 2015 on the basis of the results of the PARADIGM‐HF (Prospective Comparison of ARNI [Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor] With ACEI [Angiotensin‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitor] to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure) trial. There are limited data assessing the generalizability of PARADIGM‐HF trial participants to a broader population of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction routinely encountered in outpatient clinical practice. Methods and Results We compared the baseline characteristics of patients in the PARADIGM‐HF trial with those in the CHAMP‐HF (Change the Management of Patients With Heart Failure) study a large US outpatient registry of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction. Patients in the PARADIGM‐HF trial (n=8442) were similar to those in the CHAMP‐HF registry (n=3497) in terms of age (mean, 64 versus 66 years), sex (22% versus 29% women), New York Heart Association class III to IV (25% versus 32%), systolic blood pressure (mean, 121 versus 121 mm Hg), left ventricular ejection fraction (mean, 29% versus 29%), and other key baseline characteristics. The median (25th–75th percentile) Meta‐Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure risk scores were similar for the 2 studies (20 [16–24] versus 22 [8–27]). Despite this, only 13% of patients in the CHAMP‐HF registry were prescribed sacubitril/valsartan at baseline. Conclusions These data suggest participants randomized in the PARADIGM‐HF trial have similar baseline characteristics to those encountered in routine outpatient clinical practice, but there is a substantial lag in the adoption of sacubitril/valsartan for patients with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction.

Medical Therapy for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The CHAMP-HF Registry

Background: Few data exist regarding contemporary care patterns for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the outpatient setting. Change the Management of Patients with Heart Failure (CHAMP-HF) is a prospective cohort study designed to characterize current management of patients