Frank is a 74 year old retired high school principal who lives with his wife and their golden retriever in Smalltown, Ontario. One evening had the sensation of his heart racing and Frank and his wife decided to go to the ER . During his visit, an electrocardiogram showed that he was in atrial fibrillation with a heart rate of 80-105 bpm. Other than being “more tired than usual” he hadn’t felt any other symptoms. He didn’t have chest pain or dizziness or any difficulty breathing. At that time his hypertension seemed to be under reasonable control on 3 medications. The ER doc gave him an extra dose of his metoprolol 25mg to slow his heart rate a bit and his rhythm reverted back to normal. (Read more…)
With our new model of care, Frank leaves his ED visit with an appointment booked for the following week at the AFQCP clinic. In addition to the appointment time, Frank is given an envelope that includes information about AF and treatment options.
The care team receives the referral, and pulls any recent labs/tests from the ED visit or previous admission in preparation for Frank’s visit.
When Frank arrives for his appointment 5 days days after his ED visit, a care provider meets him in the clinic and explains the goals of the visit. (Read more…)