Beacon Heart Failure Team

About five million Americans have heart failure – a chronic condition where your heart’s ability to pump blood is reduced. The result: a lack of oxygen that causes you to feel tired, mentally less alert and weak. Symptoms could also include shortness of breath, swelling in your legs, feet, stomach or lungs. The good news is for many, heart function can be improved and symptoms reduced. The Beacon Heart Failure Team is here to help you accomplish just that.

The goal of our program is to improve quality, prevent unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital admissions, promote consistency in use of Heart Failure medications and promote better self-management through patient education and lifestyle changes.

The Beacon Heart Failure Clinic, located at both Memorial Hospital and  Elkhart General Hospital, is a complete program focusing on early treatment of heart failure to prevent worsening of symptoms. The team of pharmacists and nurses work closely with your cardiologist to optimize your treatment goals and provide patient-centered care.

If you have been hospitalized for heart failure, you will be visited by the heart failure navigator nurse prior to discharge for education and coordination of post-hospitalization care and appointments. Nurse care coordinators will also be available to you following discharge to ensure you are doing well at home between follow-up visits.

Key components of our program include:

1. One-on-one personalized care from a clinical pharmacist and a registered nurse who are specialized in heart failure management
2. Comprehensive education and counseling on chronic disease management tailored to you
3. Medication management, including adjusting medications to manage symptoms
4. Education and guidance on self-care behaviors that include daily weight monitoring, regular exercise, low-sodium diet, and knowing your symptoms
5. Prompt follow-up after hospitalization or periods of instability
6. Care coordination with your cardiologist and/or primary care provider
7. Assistance in monitoring the signs and symptoms of heart failure and fluid overload to avoid emergency room visits or hospitalizations
8. Easy access to our heart failure team with quick responses to questions and concerns
9. Implantation and monitoring of heart failure status using CardioMEMS™ HF System

Meet Your Beacon Heart Failure Clinic Representatives

Your cardiologist may refer you into the Beacon Heart Failure Clinic. Learn more about Beacon’s cardiologists.

Your First Visit

Your first visit will include:

• Check of your vital signs, height, weight
• Review of your medical history
• Consult with a pharmacist regarding your medications
• Education about managing your disease, including lifestyle changes
• Examination by a nurse practitioner heart failure registered nurse.

The first visit may last up to 90 minutes.

Additional Visits

Additional visits may last 30-60 minutes, based on the individual and their needs. Typically additional visits will occur until your medications have been adjusted to an appropriate level to control your symptoms and optimize your heart function.

For More Information

Through education and support, the heart failure clinic has reduced hospitalizations (including readmissions) for heart failure patients and improved quality of life.

A referral may be required for appointments at either clinic location. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Memorial Hospital’s clinic at 574-647-8120 or Elkhart General Hospital’s clinic at 574-389-4856.

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Most insurance policies cover a portion of the cost of this program.

Conditions and Treatments

Clinical trials

Clinical trials are scientific studies that determine if new medical treatments can help with your condition and what side effects may occur. Talk to your doctor about what options may be available.