Among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older hospitalized for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction who were discharged on all four guideline-directed classes of medical therapy (angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor, β-blocker, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor), roughly 1 in 4 were rehospitalized for heart failure and 1 in 5 died within 12 months, and median per-patient health care costs over the year were $27,956, indicating that even when comprehensive quadruple therapy is prescribed at discharge, older patients with this condition remain at significant risk for adverse clinical outcomes and substantial health care expenditure.

Source: JAMA Cardiology