Treatment

C.O.R.E. Clinic for Heart Failure Management

Schedule Appointment
Our C.O.R.E. Clinic was created in 2003 as an outpatient disease management program to help patients with heart failure or cardiomyopathy manage their illness.
Schedule Appointment

Overview

The C.O.R.E. Clinic was created to help patients living with heart failure. C.O.R.E. stands for cardiomyopathy, optimization, rehabilitation and education. If you have been diagnosed with heart failure or cardiomyopathy, it means your heart isn’t pumping blood effectively. Fluids are backing up into your lungs, causing congestive heart failure. Heart failure can cause weight gain, shortness of breath, wheezing, fatigue or a racing heartbeat. Advanced heart failure may require a pacemaker, defibrillator or transplant.

Our approach

Our cardiologists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide a five-phase treatment plan to help you improve your quality of life, extend your life expectancy and prevent unnecessary emergency room visits or hospital admissions. We can help you slow the progression of your disease and uncover heart problems before they become life threatening.

  • Evaluation: During this phase, our cardiologist assesses the cause and severity of your disease using advanced imaging and lab tests. Your medications may be adjusted at this stage.
  • Optimization: During outpatient visits, you will meet with your cardiologist, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, who will help you understand your plan of care and provide you with information to keep your condition under control. This might include self-monitoring tools, such as our Telemanagement Patient Support Program. Your medications will continue to be monitored and adjusted, if needed. All of this activity is coordinated with your primary care provider.
  • Resynchronization: At this stage of care, you will be evaluated for treatment options, including a pacemaker or defibrillator, to help control and regulate your heart function.
  • Stabilization: Even when your condition stabilizes, we will continue to monitor you periodically to ensure that we diagnose and treat problems before they become serious.
  • Restabilization (if necessary): If your symptoms come back, we evaluate you to see if you could benefit from ultrafiltration intravenous medical therapy, home health care or more aggressive monitoring.

We are proud of the recognition we have received for our heart failure care. From U.S. News & World Report, we have been recognized for:

  • Fairview Ridges Hospital, high performing in heart failure care
  • Fairview Southdale Hospital, high performing in heart failure care

  • University of Minnesota Medical Center, high performing in heart failure care

    From the American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines Awards, we have been noted for:

  • Fairview Ridges Hospital, Gold Plus Award in heart failure
  • Fairview Southdale Hospital, Gold Plus Award in heart failure
  • University of Minnesota Medical Center, Gold Plus Award in heart failure

Our goal is to help you control your condition, improve your quality of life, extend your life expectancy and prevent emergency room visits or hospital admissions. In some cases, congestive heart failure or cardiomyopathy progresses beyond the point of treatment, and you may need a heart transplant.

Many new technologies are available to diagnose and treat heart failure and cardiomyopathy. They include: 

  • Congestive heart failure management
  • Pulmonary artery pressure monitoring (CardioMEMsTM)
  • Telemanagement
  • Cardiac-Assist Devices (Berlin Heart, HeartMate II)
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
  • Heart (Cardiac) Surgery
  • Heart Failure Management
  • Heart Transplant
  • Medical Management
  • Oxygen Therapy
  • Ventricular Assist Device (VAD)