Lipid management in a private cardiology practice (the Midwest Heart Experience)

Emerging evidence that lowering cholesterol levels reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease led Midwest Heart Specialists to establish a lipid clinic in 1985. The physician-directed, nurse-managed program was developed to improve patient adherence to National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines and provide high-quality preventive services while preserving productivity for the busy interventional cardiologist who was the medical director of the program. From 1996 to 1997, Midwest Heart Specialists was one of 140 medical practices to participate in a national Quality Assurance Program (QAP). The purpose of the project was to evaluate the degree of treatment of hyperlipidemia in patients with coronary heart disease. Although the overall physician practice results were significantly better than the national averages, the lipid-clinic results were dramatically more impressive: 100% of the lipid-clinic patients were on lipid-lowering therapy and 97% of the patients had a low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level documented on the chart. Of these, 71% met their LDL goal, as compared with only 11% nationally. The results of the QAP within the physician practice stimulated the development of a new practice-wide lipid-management system. This new systematic approach to lipid management has improved overall lipid outcomes dramatically. The success of the Cholesterol Management Program has enhanced the reputation of the practice in the community, tied high-risk patients and their families to the practice, and improved the marketability of a full complement of cardiovascular services via Midwest Heart Specialists.