A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that patients who had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction did not benefit from a hospital intervention aimed at post-discharge quality improvement that included clinician education and quality improvement strategic planning. The analysis was based on 5,647 patients in 161 hospitals from March 2017 to March 2020.

Virginia launched a new behavioral health services program through the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services that will give residents greater access to community-based care and hopefully reduce readmissions. The program will help Medicaid members in Virginia with mental health services and assertive community treatment, with more services set to launch at the end of the year.

Dozens of hospitals and health systems across the US have announced COVID-19 vaccine mandates for their employees. A number of hospital associations have signed consensus statements supporting vaccine requirements, and national groups like the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association signed a joint statement calling for health care facilities to implement vaccine mandates.

Personal protective equipment like suits, gloves, goggles and face masks are almost always designed for men, though 70% of health care professionals globally are women. Some organizations are working on solutions that include abandoning a "one size fits all" model in favor of designs that can be tailored to different body types and needs.

Health care professionals and patients are still navigating the ins and outs of telehealth, including how to handle technology glitches, connectivity problems, missed appointments and complicated interfaces. Platform developers say they are adding features and simplifying tasks.

Penn Medicine's health data projects will be facilitated and coordinated system-wide by the soon-to-open Center for Applied Health Informatics. The health system's clinical effectiveness and quality improvement teams, center for evidence-based practice, EHR transformation group, biomedical informatics center and computer science center will collaborate with the new center.

Research published in Circulation: Heart Failure showed that Black and female adults were more likely to get a first diagnosis of heart failure in an acute care setting than a primary care setting, compared with white and male adults, with financial and employment status also playing a role. The study examined data from nearly 1 million people diagnosed with heart failure between 2003 and 2019, 38% of whom received their diagnoses in an acute care setting.

A study in JACC: Heart Failure found that the risk for heart failure increases the longer a person has diabetes, and people who had prediabetes or diabetes had greater risk for heart failure, compared with those who didn't have the conditions. The findings also showed that the association between longer diabetes duration and higher heart failure risk was stronger among women, Black people, those younger than 65, those with A1C of 7% or higher and those with higher body mass index.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide vaccination efforts, the ACC Accreditation Services' Foundation Committee is accepting applications for 2021 AFC Microgrants, which will focus on public health education to improve community cardiovascular outcomes related to early recognition of heart attack symptoms and appropriate action steps. Grant awards in the amounts of $2,000, $2,500 and $6,000 will be given to hospitals based in the U.S. Applications will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Learn more and submit an application.

The ACC is seeking qualified candidates to serve as vice chair for the Annual Scientific Session for ACC.23 and ACC.24. The commitment will be for a total of four years, with the vice chair automatically assuming the role of chair for ACC.25 and ACC.26. This governance model ensures consistent leadership and allows for continual improvement of the meeting. Interested candidates are encouraged to review the job description and complete the official application. A cover letter highlighting credentials that align with the criteria detailed on the job description, as well as a curriculum vitae, must be submitted along with the application. Completed materials should be submitted to Jill Diamond (jdiamond@acc.org) by Monday, Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. ET. Learn more and apply.