Overview

Overview

Stress is an Important Consideration for Healthcare Providers

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section offers services to patients with cardiovascular disease and those who have a high risk of developing it. Individualized programs are designed to assess one’s individual risk of cardiovascular disease, reduce risk factors and prevent any existing disease from getting worse. Cardiac rehabilitation helps those who have just had a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, recover, rehabilitate and develop a healthy lifestyle. Our team includes specialists from many areas to offer nutritional services, prescriptive exercise programs, stress testing, cardiovascular disease risk-reduction programs and a peripheral vascular rehabilitation program.

Patients benefit from our specialized programs:

These programs help patients make lifestyle changes and determine the best medical treatment plan to:

  • Manage existing cardiovascular disease and reducing progression of disease
  • Reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, or developing cardiovascular disease
  • Reduce the need for surgery
  • Improve your quality of life by reducing symptoms
  • Manage difficult to treat blood pressure or cholesterol
  • Assist with tobacco cessation
  • Help manage anxiety, depression or other behavioral health conditions
  • Provide specialized treatment for those with diabetes, pre-diabetes and insulin resistance, who are overweight and have heart disease

The Cardiac and Rehabilitation Program was founded in 1985. The program helps promote health and wellness for patients with cardiac and vascular disease while they are in hospital, during their recovery and throughout their lives.

Now Offering Virtual Programs for Preventative Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation

Preventive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation educational and support programming is offered in-person as well as virtual visits through your computer, tablet or smart phone.

How do I sign up for virtual programs?

Simply call 216.444.9353 or toll free 800.223.2273, ext. 49353 to schedule your virtual appointment or talk to someone in your program to find out what is available to you.

Our Services

Our Services

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section helps patients who have cardiovascular disease and those who are at high risk of developing it. Our specialists carefully assess each patient’s risk factors (traditional and nontraditional), medical and cardiovascular history, and create a treatment plan to help you meet your goals.

Your Plan

Your healthcare team will create a lifestyle plan based on your individual needs and medical conditions. The plan is designed to enhance your efforts to stay well and symptom-free. This plan will include medical treatment of any existing disease as well as a comprehensive approach to preventing disease or preventing progression of your disease. Although many people know the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle, it can be difficult to know which changes to make to live in a heart-healthy way every day. Our specialists in nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, stress management, anxiety and depression will design a “prescription" of treatments to meet your specific needs. Treatment may also include referrals to our specialized programs to help best meet your prevention goals.

If needed, you will also receive prescriptions for medications, such as medications to help lower cholesterol or blood pressure. Our specialists are familiar with the latest and most effective drugs to lower cholesterol. They can also treat patients with complicated medical conditions and hyperlipidemia that has not responded to statins.

Tests and Procedures

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section uses advanced technology to identify your risk, understand your condition and determine the best treatment possible. 

For example, many of the novel risk markers help better assess one’s risk for cardiovascular disease. This includes ultra-sensitive CRP, lipoprotein(a), TMAO and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and others. If you have some of these markers your prevention plan will be adjusted accordingly. 

The Preventive Cardiology Program may also order other advanced testing for further assessment of your disease or symptoms or to better treat you.

EKG, Echo

Stress testing

Coronary CTA

Cardiac MRI

Cardiac catheterization

PET Scan

Calcium scoring

The results of these tests will help develop an appropriate comprehensive treatment plan. 

To learn more, follow these links:

Helpful Links

Why choose Cleveland Clinic for your care?

Our outcomes speak for themselves. Please review our facts and figures and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section tracks outcomes on numerous cardiovascular risk factors, including emerging nontraditional cardiac risk factors. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program reports outcomes related to quality of life, functional capacity, blood pressure and compliance.

Doctors

Doctors

Appointments

Appointments

By Phone

Call Toll-free 800.223.2273, ext. 49353 or submit an online request.

Directions

When you make your appointment, ask the administrative assistant for the name of your physician and desk number. You will be told to go to JB-1, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.

Online

Use our secure online form to submit an appointment request 24/7. We will receive it and follow-up with you as soon as possible.

Virtual Visits

You can now stay connected to your healthcare team through virtual visits, using your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Why go virtual? It's an easy, convenient and secure way to see your provider face-to-face without having to leave home. This saves you travel time, parking fees and time spent in the waiting room — and you can also have a loved one or caregiver join you. If appropriate, you can also get a prescription sent to the pharmacy of your choice.

Many insurance companies cover the cost of virtual visits, so check with your insurance company ahead of time. Interested in getting started? Call your provider to find out what virtual visit options are available.

Physician Referrals

Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (ET):
toll-free 800.223.2273, ext. 49162

Research

Research

For Patients

Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute physicians, surgeons, and researchers continue to research into new treatments and therapies with the goal of improving patient care and outcomes into the future.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials (or research studies) help us create the medicine of tomorrow. They provide hope through offering testing of new drugs, new surgical techniques or other treatments before they are widely available.

We can help you access hundreds of clinical trials across all specialty areas. Our new searchable online trials tool makes identifying treatment opportunities easier than ever.

Our Programs & Clinics

Our Programs & Clinics

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section offers a variety of programs and clinics to meet the specific needs of our patients. We offer preventive care, cardiac rehabilitation, nutrition counseling and preventive cardiology care for all ages – adults, teens and children.

Preventive Cardiology Program

Who should participate in a Preventive Cardiology Program?

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States. If you want to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, have multiple risk factors, or have specific conditions that increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (for example: rheumatoid arthritis or lupus), this program is for you. Even if you already have cardiovascular disease, you can take control and manage your risk factors to keep the condition from getting worse.

Primary and Secondary Prevention

There are two main types of prevention ─ primary and secondary.

  • Primary prevention is focused on preventing heart and blood vessel disease before a patient has an event such as a heart attack or stroke, or needs cardiovascular surgery.
  • Secondary prevention involves patients who have had an event such as heart or vascular surgery, angioplasty or heart attack. The focus is on preventing cardiovascular disease from getting worse.

Our Clinical Team

The Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section includes physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses and other healthcare professionals from several departments, including:

  • The Tomsich Family Department of Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Hypertension
  • Internal Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Nutrition Therapy
  • Exercise Physiologists

The combination of specialists from multiple areas provides patients with one program that provides a comprehensive approach to care that involves the most current, research-based preventive therapies.

Preventive Cardiology & Cardiac Rehabilitation Medical Staff

Nurse Practitioners: Advanced Practice Nurses

Nutrition Counseling

  • Julia Renee Zumpano RD, LD - Nutrition Counseling
  • Katherine Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD - Nutrition Counseling

Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise

How do I enter the program?

Your doctor can arrange an appointment for you or you may contact us directly at 216.444.9353 or toll free 800.223.2273, ext. 49353. Once your appointment is made, we will send you information and instructions to prepare you for your first visit.

What about my “regular” doctor?

The Preventive Cardiology specialists will work closely with you and your primary care doctor or cardiologist to design a program that works well with your overall medical condition. They will track your progress and share the information with you and your doctor after each visit.

What are the program goals?

The team will work with you one-on-one to create goals that fit your medical and cardiovascular history, lifestyle and improve your quality of life. We use research-based interventions and a variety of treatment methods to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and keep existing disease from getting worse.

Your long-term treatment plan to reduce your risks will include a customized combination of needed services, including nutritional counseling, exercise instruction, advice about lifestyle and behaviors, help to stop smoking, medications and treatments as needed, psychological counseling and referrals to physicians, our other clinics, and other health professionals as needed.

What happens during my first visit?

Your first visit involves a complete assessment of your risk of cardiovascular disease. This includes your family history, lifestyle habits, screening for anxiety and depression, your complete medical and cardiovascular history, a physical focused on cardiovascular health, and lab work, including diabetes and cholesterol screening. We also check for nontraditional and newly discovered risk factors for heart disease, such as lipoprotein(a), C-reactive protein, TMAO and MPO.

What happens next?

Your healthcare team will review your information and create your treatment plan. They will place referrals to other services if needed including nutrition or psychology, and order any other tests such as EKG, echo, stress testing to further assess your risk or manage your current disease. Your information is saved in a database to help track your progress. A copy of these records can be sent to any doctors involved in your care. The database also allows us to keep track of our outcomes.

How often will I have follow-up appointments?

Your healthcare team will let you know how often you need to come back for follow-up visits. Many patients are seen every 3 months, but you may need appointments more or less often. Regular follow-up visits are important to help you reach your goals. If you have questions between visits, please call your Preventive Cardiology team.

What makes Cleveland Clinic’s Preventive Cardiology Program unique?

The program has been designed to provide:

  • Individualized treatment plans
  • Cutting-edge risk evaluation and treatment 
  • Computerized data collection and outcome analyses
  • Multidisciplinary treatment strategies
  • Individualized nutritional counseling
  • Behavioral assessment and treatment (psychological, smoking cessation)
  • Exercise counseling and prescription

Learn more about specialized preventive cardiology programs for women at our Women’s Cardiovascular Center

Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Cardiac rehabilitation (rehab) is a program designed to help improve your overall health by identifying and reducing the risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease.

The program uses lifestyle change and medication, as needed, to:

  • Prevent cardiovascular disease or keep existing disease from getting worse
  • Reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke
  • Reduce the need for surgery
  • Improve your quality of life by reducing symptoms

How will cardiac rehab help?

You will work with an exercise physiologist or registered nurse to help you meet your personal goals.

The goals of cardiac rehab are to:

  • Help you fully understand your condition and treatment
  • Help you make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke and reduce the need for future surgery
  • Increase your ability to perform your job and your daily or recreational activities
  • Provide you and your family with the support and motivation you need to make important lifestyle changes

Our multidisciplinary team will help you reach your goals:

Preventive Cardiology & Cardiac Rehabilitation Medical Staff

Nurse Practitioners: Advanced Practice Nurses

Nutrition Counseling

  • Julia Renee Zumpano RD, LD - Nutrition Counseling
  • Katherine Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD - Nutrition Counseling

Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise

  • Michael Crawford, MS , Manager, Cardiac Rehab

Who can benefit from cardiac rehab?

Cardiac Rehab programs are helpful for patients who have/had:

  • Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery
  • Interventional procedures such as balloon angioplasty, PTCA, atherectomy, rotablation or stent placement
  • Angina
  • Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
  • Heart failure
  • Hemodynamic disorders, such as syncope
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Valve repair or replacement
  • Aortic aneurysm repair or replacement
  • Heart transplant
  • Other heart or vascular disorders

How do I get started in the Cardiac Rehab Program?

  • Phase I Cardiac Rehab: This phase will begin while you are in the hospital. A cardiac rehab specialist will work with you and give you information about the recovery process.
  • Phase II Cardiac Rehab: You can enter this phase of the program shortly after you leave the hospital. Your doctor needs to make a referral, and then the rehab team can help you get started in the program.

During your first visit, your rehab team will review your medical history and risk factors. You will also have an evaluation for safety and learn about exercise guidelines.

What does the program include?

  • A customized plan to help you make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk factors.
  • Weekly patient and family education classes and one-on-one education to help you reach your goals. Detailed nutrition counseling is also available with our registered dietitian.
  • The program will support the ongoing care from your referring doctor.
  • We will track your progress and share the information with you and your referring doctor.

Where is the program offered?

Cardiac rehab activity classes are offered at Cleveland Clinic.

All sessions are medically supervised and directed by nationally certified rehabilitation specialists and nurses. State-of-the-art monitoring equipment and a variety of exercise equipment are available for your safety and convenience.

Ongoing Management

You can participate in cardiac rehab along with the Preventive Cardiology Clinic. This multispecialty clinic includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and other healthcare professionals from several departments, including cardiovascular medicine, endocrinology, hypertension, internal medicine, exercise physiology, psychology and nutrition therapy, who are experts in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The specialists in the Preventive Cardiology Clinic assess your risk of cardiovascular disease and create a plan to help prevent disease or keep existing disease form getting worse. The team works with each patient individually, using research-based interventions and a variety of treatment methods.

Does insurance cover cardiac rehab?

Outpatient cardiac rehab is covered by most insurance companies. We can help you contact your insurance company to ask about your coverage options before you start the Phase II Cardiac Rehab Program. Or, call the Patient Financial Advocate at 216.444.9353 or 800.223.2273 ext. 49353

Why attend the Cardiac Rehab Program?

  • Cleveland Clinic is nationally ranked and globally recognized as the world leader in cardiovascular care.
  • Our program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
  • All Cleveland Clinic medical records are centralized, so you and your physicians have immediate access to your information.
  • Participants in a comprehensive program have a 25 to 30% reduction in fatal heart events.
  • Our participants have an average 25% increase in the amount of exercise they can do.
  • You’ll receive a full medical evaluation, exercise test for safety and effectiveness, and we’ll create a program designed to meet your specific goals to help you reduce all risk factors for heart disease.
  • You will work with the same rehab staff member throughout the entire program.
  • Staff members are certified exercise specialists and are certified in advanced cardiac life support.
  • The program is integrated with the Preventive Cardiology program.
  • An on-staff registered dietitian is available for consultations.
  • Learn about choosing a cardiac rehabilitation program.

Learn more about specialized preventive cardiology programs for women at our Women’s Cardiovascular Center

Center for CardioMetabolic Health

The Center for CardioMetabolic Health is a specialized program in Cleveland Clinic’s Section of Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation, established in 1985, that includes cardiologists, endocrinologists, pharmacists, dietitians, exercise physiologists, and behavioral lifestyle therapists.

Our healthcare team treats patients who are at risk of or have cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction (heart attack), recent stent placement or cardiac bypass surgery or heart failure and one or more of the following risk factors:

  • Diabetes, pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance
  • High cholesterol and/or elevated levels of triglycerides
  • High blood pressure
  • Excess body weight

The Center for CardioMetabolic Health team works with each patient to identify health issues and risk factors, choose the best treatment options and create a plan of care designed just for you.

They will keep your primary care doctor and other doctors you see updated on your treatment and progress. Our goal is to not only to help you reduce your cardiometabolic risk, but to maintain a healthier lifestyle and to improve risk factors to prevent heart and vascular disease.

Our multidisciplinary team includes specialists in cardiovascular medicine, endocrinology, pharmacy, nutrition, exercise physiology, and behavioral modification.

Learn more about the Center for CardioMetabolic Health

Preventive Cardiology Blood Pressure Disorder Program

The section of Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation works within the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders to offer comprehensive assessment and treatment of a wide range of blood pressure disorders. In the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders, Nephrology and Cardiology specialists collaborate to manage chronic blood pressure conditions. Our team is composed of clinical specialists in hypertension to offer treatment of resistant and refractory hypertension, comprehensive assessment of secondary causes of hypertension, and robust out-of-office blood pressure monitoring programs, including 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (the gold standard for blood pressure measurement.)

Our team sees patients in consultation for blood pressure disorders from across the country and internationally. We collaborate with our colleagues across the institution to provide the best care for patients with resistant hypertension and patients with secondary causes of hypertension. We also work hard to identify those patients with known cardiovascular disease, and those patients at highest risk for developing cardiovascular disease, to be aggressive about achieving blood pressure targets. 

We strive to work with you, your primary care provider, and other physicians to identify a treatment plan that incorporates not only medications, but more importantly lifestyle modification, including nutrition consultation, exercise recommendations, sleep hygiene recommendations, and behavioral alterations. 

We participate in multiple clinical trials, including those using device-based therapy for the management of resistant hypertension, and those involving remote blood pressure monitoring, which presents great opportunities for our patients who are struggling with blood pressure control.

Tobacco Treatment Center

A provider in the tobacco cessation clinic, which is a part of Preventive Cardiology, will counsel patients and develop an individualized plan considering both pharmacological and non-pharmacological options to eliminate nicotine use. Assessment includes a review of underlying factors that may provide added challenges, including stress management, emotional well-being and untreated pain, and consults to specialists in these areas are made as needed to improve sustainability. Our quit team includes an e-coach that will follow up with patients routinely via email or phone to promote motivation and compliance with the quit plan. We also arrange visits for hypnotherapy and acupuncture if desired.

Statin Intolerance Clinic

The Preventive Cardiology Clinic has a specialty in managing statin intolerance. This includes the assessment of patients’ symptoms, lab-work and managing statins as well as other medications such as ezetimibe, fibrates, etc. to find the right dose and right drugs patients can tolerate to bring their LDL as close to target and possible. This includes trialing many of the different statins, and intermittent dosing, which is using medications once or twice a week as tolerated to reach the desired outcome. Certain statin intolerant patients qualify for PCSK9 inhibitors which can lower LDL up to 60%. Preventive Cardiology has published outcomes on their statin intolerance patients (link?) showing a 30% reduction in LDLs in patients with a history of statin intolerance.

Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Program

The Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Program is based on scientific research and national recommendations. We believe that diet and lifestyle management is at the foundation of reducing the risk of heart disease. Our nutritional guidelines are based on extensive research involving diet patterns that help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

These dietary recommendations include those established by the American Heart Association and National Cholesterol Education Program. They also include and emphasize the importance of foods to improve your health and protect your heart. These foods include whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. These dietary habits have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Your nutrition plan will be customized to meet your health needs, lifestyle and goals.

  • Achieving or maintaining a healthy body weight
  • Avoiding refined starches and simple sugars and emphasizing fiber-rich foods
  • Avoiding saturated and trans-fats and instead choosing unsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids
  • Choosing a variety of plant-based proteins and reducing the amount of animal-based proteins in the diet
  • Eating whole foods, including legumes, unrefined grains, fruits and vegetables.
  • Regular exercise

The Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Program offers many resources to help you improve your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease.

Nutrition services include:

  • Individualized goal setting and nutrition counseling. This includes a thorough nutrition assessment that includes your nutritional history, medical history, body mass index, risk factor evaluation, and any needed lab work. You can schedule this service through:
    • An in-person appointment at Cleveland Clinic’s Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Clinic. Call 216.444.9353 or toll free 800.223.2273, ext. 49353 to schedule an appointment.
  • Educational Materials. We offer a variety of educational handouts and materials to support healthy eating, grocery shopping, food preparation and dining out. We are continuing to strive to provide the most up-to-date materials to our patients.
  • Cooking classes and recipes.
  • Nutrition research. We participate in nutrition-oriented research to help us learn more about the role of nutrition in disease prevention.
  • Corporate consultation. We provide corporate lectures and nutritional expertise to corporations all over the country. We also work with grocery stores to help market healthy foods and teach customers how to make healthy food choices.
  • Group education:
    • Weigh to a healthy heart is a 10-week group weight loss program offered through Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Services.
    • Shared Medical Appointments provide an opportunity to talk to a dietitian and nurse practitioner about nutrition and health needs.

To a great degree, your health is a product of the choices you make every day about what to eat, how much to exercise, and how much you know about your risks of disease. The right nutrition can help improve your energy level, ability to concentrate, and ability to manage your weight, blood sugar and cholesterol and provide other benefits to your overall health.

Preventive Cardiology Nutrition Team

  • Julia Renee Zumpano RD, LD - Nutrition Counseling
  • Katherine Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD - Nutrition Counseling

For more information on any of the above services, call the Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Office locally at 216.444-9353 or toll free 800.223.2273, ext. 49353 or Contact Us.

Learn more about specialized preventive cardiology programs for women at our Women’s Cardiovascular Center