The Heart Failure Bridge Clinic helps patients manage their heart failure by providing a smooth transition home from the hospital. We also offer support during heart failure exacerbations.
By helping patients understand and manage their heart failure diagnosis, we help lower the possibility of readmission to the hospital and further health complications.
Schedule an Appointment
General Access Line
Heart Failure Bridge Clinic Line
What to expect when you arrive
After a hospitalization:Most patients discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure will have a follow-up appointment scheduled before they leave the hospital. Patients who do not have a scheduled follow-up appointment are more likely to be back in the hospital within a few short weeks of their original discharge.
Long-term care: Patients experiencing heart failure symptoms can be seen within 24 to 72 hours in the clinic and may be given intravenous medications to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
A typical clinic visit includes:
- A review of your medical history and a physical examination with a heart failure specialized nurse practitioner
- If necessary, an adjustment of cardiac medications
- Blood work to check function of kidneys and electrolyte levels
- Personalized education about the signs and symptoms of heart failure, self-care, diet and fluid-management techniques
- Connecting with clinic resources, including our nurses, pharmacist and community health worker
- Collaboration with your doctors and connecting you to a cardiologist
- Close follow-up with the clinic
Heart Failure Resources
At your visit in the Heart Failure Bridge Clinic, you will be given educational material to take home that reviews heart failure diagnosis and management. Resources may include the following:
- When food shopping, pay attention to labels. Go on a video tour of a grocery store with a Johns Hopkins registered dietitian.
- What is heart failure?