Cognitive dysfunction and poor health literacy are common in veterans presenting with acute coronary syndrome: insights from the MEDICATION study.

Background: Patient nonadherence to cardiac medications following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with increased risk of recurrent events. However, the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction and poor health literacy among ACS patients and their association with medication nonadherence are poorly understood.

Methods: We assessed rates of cognitive dysfunction and poor health literacy among participants of a clinical trial that tested the effectiveness of an intervention to improve medication adherence in patients hospitalized with ACS.

Coronary artery disease performance measures and statin use in patients with recent percutaneous coronary intervention or recent coronary artery bypass grafting (from the NCDR PINNACLE registry).

The association between coronary revascularization strategy (percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]) and compliance with coronary artery disease (CAD) performance measures is not well studied. Our analysis studied patients enrolled in the Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence registry, who underwent coronary revascularization using PCI or CABG in the 12 months before their most recent outpatient visit in 2011. We compared the attainment of CAD performance measures and statin use in eligible patients with PCI and CABG using hierarchical logistic regression models.

Cardiac performance measure compliance in outpatients: the American College of Cardiology and National Cardiovascular Data Registry's PINNACLE (Practice Innovation And Clinical Excellence) program.

Objectives: We examined compliance with performance measures for 14,464 patients enrolled from July 2008 through June 2009 into the American College of Cardiology's PINNACLE (Practice Innovation And Clinical Excellence) program to provide initial insights into the quality of outpatient cardiac care.

Background: Little is known about the quality of care of outpatients with coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, and whether sex and racial disparities exist in the treatment of outpatients.

Methods: The PINNACLE program is the first, national, prospective office-based quality improvement program of cardiac patients designed, in part, to capture, report, and improve outpatient performance measure compliance.