Cardiac rehabilitation

Experiencing a heart issue can catch you off guard. It's natural to feel overwhelmed as you navigate life after leaving the hospital. Our cardiac rehabilitation program is designed to support you in regaining control and moving toward a healthier heart future after surviving a heart attack or undergoing a life-saving procedure like heart surgery.

What is cardiac rehab?

Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program that offers support, education and coaching to get you on the right track after a heart procedure. You'll learn how to manage your heart problem while you increase your energy and improve your quality of life.

Using a team approach, you’ll work with registered nurses and exercise physiologists. Your exercise training will start at a level that you can handle, which may include walking and seated exercises.

Benefits of cardiac rehab

Studies show that participating in cardiac rehab programs can:

• Control symptoms such as chest pain and shortness of breath
• Improve your stamina and strength, getting you back to work and your usual activities
• Reduce hospitalizations for heart-related conditions
• Lower your risk of having another heart attack
• Improve your health so you develop fewer heart disease risk factors
• Reduce depression, anger and anxiety

You must meet qualifying criteria to be eligible for this physician-ordered program.

What diagnosis qualifies for cardiac rehab?

Our cardiac rehabilitation program is for anyone who is recovering from a heart problem that required surgery or medical care. Cardiac diagnosis may include:

• Heart attack
• Stable chronic systolic heart failure
• Heart transplant
• Heart valve repair or replacement
• Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or stent placement
• Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) 
• Stable angina pectoris

When should cardiac rehab begin?

Cardiac rehabilitation can start during your hospital stay but typically continues as outpatient therapy once you're back home.

Home-based cardiac rehabilitation

We have a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program for patients who cannot attend in-person classes. Using an app and at-home monitoring tools, you: 

• Monitor vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate each day and see a dashboard of all your results over time 
• Receive educational materials to help you create a heart-healthy lifestyle 
• Attend in-person meetings at the facility once a month 

Home-based cardiac rehab is ideal if you live far away or have other things that prevent you from coming to class regularly. This remote cardiac therapy option also gives you more flexibility to exercise on your own time.

Placing your trust in our cardiac rehab team

We understand it can be difficult to start cardiac rehabilitation when you’re still feeling unwell or anxious about your recent heart attack, heart surgery or other condition. But our supportive rehab team – and your fellow program participants – can make recovery easier and even pleasant.

When you choose us for cardiac rehab, you can expect:

• Convenient locations: With programs located throughout the state, you can receive care close to home.
• Caring professionals: A medical director leads each of our cardiac rehab programs. As you recover, compassionate nurses and exercise physiologists also support you. For issues related to anxiety or depression, we can refer you to a health psychologist.
• On-staff dieticians: Many of our programs include heart-focused dieticians who provide nutrition counseling and customized food plans.