{"id":1800,"date":"2026-05-20T15:10:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigancr.org\/?p=1800"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:13:18","slug":"key-takeaways-from-micrs-first-telehealth-cardiac-rehab-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigancr.org\/zh\/key-takeaways-from-micrs-first-telehealth-cardiac-rehab-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Takeaways from MiCR\u2019s First Telehealth Cardiac Rehab Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Since 2019, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2) and the Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) have worked together to improve cardiac rehabilitation utilization in Michigan. This collaboration led to the founding of the Michigan Cardiac Rehabilitation network (MiCR) in 2022, a partnership that endeavors to increase participation in cardiac rehab for all eligible individuals in Michigan through clinical practice sharing, networking, data benchmarking, and the dissemination of resources.<\/p>\n

On April 17, MiCR invited practitioners from across Michigan to discuss the evolving role of virtual and hybrid cardiac rehabilitation programming amidst recent legislative wins. In February, Congress advanced the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7148), which extends Medicare telehealth and in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation flexibilities through December 31, 2027. With this extension, cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehab programs in both hospital outpatient and physician office settings can continue delivering services virtually using two-way audio and video technology through the end of 2027. This two-year window gives programs the opportunity to launch or expand hybrid rehab models, try new approaches to reach patients who have difficulty attending in-person sessions, and plan with greater confidence while longer-term policy solutions are explored.<\/p>\n

MiCR kicked off the forum emphasizing its mission and the progress made to date in statewide enrollment, with participation rates for eligible cardiac patients across the collaborative increasing from 24% in 2020 to 35% in 2024. Despite progress being made, the state is still short of the MiCR goal of 40% enrollment within 90 days of discharge from eligible procedures (Figure 1), as well as the Million Hearts goal of 70% enrollment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

Figure 1. Trends in cardiac rehab enrollment within 90 days of discharge from AMI, CABG, PCI, SAVR, or TAVR encounter<\/h3>\n
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MiCR conducted a short survey in 2025 about telehealth programming in cardiac rehab<\/a><\/span> to better understand opportunities to close the enrollment gap using telehealth, and how leaders and care teams feel about offering telehealth options. Of the 27 cardiac rehab sites that responded, only two were currently offering some form of virtual cardiac rehab, while some others expressed interest in launching or further investigating virtual service options.<\/p>\n

Defining Cardiac Rehab Delivery Models<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prior to initiating a discussion, MiCR reviewed several key definitions to clarify terminology surrounding evolving cardiac rehab delivery models:<\/p>\n