Sharecare Launches Virtual Model of its Medicare-Reimbursable Cardiac Rehab Program

What You Should Know:

– Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, today announced Ornish Lifestyle Medicine by Sharecare, the company’s Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation (ICR) program, is now available through a virtual delivery model.

– Reimbursable through Medicare and many commercial plans, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine by Sharecare is the first and only ICR program scientifically proven in randomized controlled trials to often reverse the progression of coronary heart disease and many other chronic conditions, without drugs or surgery.

How Ornish Lifestyle Medicine Works

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., with $273 billion in CVD-related direct costs and $172 billion in indirect costs, which hit employers’ bottom lines through lost productivity, workplace absenteeism, and short-term disability; and by 2030, indirect

Participants attend 18 four-hour sessions over 9 weeks with a small, consistent groups of peers. Each session is led by a team of clinicians, comprised of four key pillars – nutrition, fitness, stress management, and love and support – and provides each program cohort with a dedicated, certified team of clinical experts, including a physician, nurse, registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, group support facilitator, and stress management specialist. By using lifestyle changes as less invasive and often more effective treatment options than medication or surgical interventions alone, the Ornish program empowers individuals to improve their heart’s function.

Cardiac Rehab Outcomes/Results

After witnessing a 99% completion rate among participants in the initial cohorts, the new virtual delivery will allow us to offer the program to more people than ever before – especially those who live in areas with limited access to health care facilities. Over 13,000 patients have completed Sharecare’s program, the first and only ICR program scientifically proven in randomized controlled trials to often reverse the progression of coronary heart disease and many other chronic conditions, without drugs or surgery. 

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