Heart Failure is frequently associated with hospital readmission. Readmission is a hospital quality measure that reflects dimensions of quality of inpatient care and also impacts overall programs by payors such as CMS’s Star Rating Program, HRRP and Value Based Purchasing. Entresto/Sacubitril/Valsartan is a fixed-dose combination of neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril and angiotensin receptor blocker valsartan. In 2015, Entresto (Sacubitril/ Valsartan) was the first fix-dose combination to receive FDA approval to reduce the risk for cardiovascular death and hospitalization in patients with chronic heart failure. Studies have also demonstrated reductions in 30-day and 60-day hospital readmission rates when using Entresto (Sacubitril/ Valsartan) . Dexur’s analysis of Real-World Evidence based on Medicare Claims data showed that the use of Entresto (Sacubitril/ Valsartan) within 7 days of hospitalization was associated with lower hospital readmission rates for Heart Failure Patients. Reduction in readmission rates helps hospitals improve their outcomes for various cost and quality programs. Dexur is an approved entity to perform Medicare claims data analysis, which it uses to perform quality outcomes analysis. Dexur has published several papers with Harvard Medical School on quality outcomes related topics. Dexur’s analysis of Drugs and its impact on quality outcomes, such as readmissions and mortality, are used by Hospitals, IDNs, and ACOs to implement best practices and manage Real World Evidence based risk factors.

By: James Pitt  Apr. 18, 2018

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a subtype of left-sided heart failure. In HFrEF, the left ventricle pumps out an unusually low percentage of the blood it contains on each pump. HFrEF is of special concern because these patients are at higher risk of mortality than patients with preserved ejection fraction, according to a 2017 analysis of the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Long-Term Registry.

By: Saparja Nag  Apr. 05, 2018

Entresto, a combination drug of sacubitril and valsartan, was approved by the FDA in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and HF hospitalization for patients diagnosed with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction (≤ 40%). Dr. Clyde W. Yancy, the chief of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine stated that the approval and integration of Entresto into HF treatment plans represents an evolution of how this condition is approached. Entresto does this by replacing the need for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which were previously considered the foundation of HF treatments. When patients present with both chronic HF with a reduced ejection fraction and a respiratory condition, namely COPD and asthma, physicians are typically wary of prescribing beta-blockers as part of their daily medication regimen out of fear that the patient will develop bronchoconstriction. Although physicians remain divided on whether or not to prescribe beta-blockers to these patients, the introduction of Entresto would avoid these potential respiratory side effects.