Recora and Tampa General Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute Partner to Offer New Cardiac Recovery Program to Thousands

NEW YORK & TAMPA, Fla., September 8, 2022 (Newswire.com) - Recora today announced that it is partnering with the Tampa General Hospital Heart & Vascular Institute for its Cardiac Recovery Program. This program will be the first of its kind in Florida's Tampa Bay region, expanding Tampa General Hospital's (TGH) outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program to more eligible patients in the academic medical center's 23-county service area. 

"Cardiac rehabilitation with supervised, escalating doses of exercise is crucial for complete recovery from a major cardiovascular surgery or procedure. Similarly, patients with heart failure can receive enormous benefit from cardiac rehabilitation. The main barrier for patients to fully benefit from this therapy has always been convenience and access," said Dr. Guilherme Oliveira, professor and chief, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and executive director, Tampa General Heart & Vascular Institute. "Recora removes the access barrier and provides the convenience that patients need to successfully complete cardiac recovery and rehabilitation by allowing this to happen right at home. It's a game changer for patients that require cardiac rehabilitation."

Through virtual tools provided to patients and on-demand access to care teams and other resources, the program empowers patients to manage their heart health from home while enabling providers and plans to provide comprehensive cardiac care and strengthen patient relationships. Recora currently serves more than 30,000 cardiac patients in the U.S. across health systems, health plans and medical groups in urban, suburban and rural communities. 

Recora's Cardiac Recovery Program moves beyond 12 weeks of rehabilitation to deliver comprehensive care management that focuses on a patient's overall health and wellness.

"Today, one in four people in the U.S. die of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although cardiac rehabilitation is considered the standard of care, just 16% of eligible patients start the program and 26% finish all sessions. Tampa General has made the decision to change that," said Recora CEO Abhishek Chandra. "We are excited to extend Tampa General's care delivery to patients within their own home through a personalized and convenient cardiac rehabilitation curriculum that can engage patients in continuing a healthier lifestyle that can improve their health." 

Recora's Cardiac Recovery Program has already garnered industry-leading results that include:

• 15% hospital readmission rate for Recora patients, versus the national average of 43% across Medicare patients with heart failure at six months.
• 87% Recora cardiac recovery program completion rate, versus the national average of 26%. 
• 95% of Recora patients with hypertension improved into normal blood pressure ranges.
• 94% of Recora patients adhere to their cardiac medication.
• 80% improvement of distance and strength gains among Recora patients.

In addition to its strategic collaboration with Recora, Tampa General participated in Recora's most recent Series A round of financing, which was led by San Francisco-based venture capital firm SignalFire. The Series A funding will help accelerate Recora's product and technology development, as well as grow its sales and marketing efforts, according to the company. 

Tampa General's participation was coordinated through TGH Innoventures, which, among other things, provides Tampa General with a platform to invest resources and funds into emerging companies. "We are very excited to expand our partnership with Recora by making this strategic investment," said Rachel Feinman, vice president of Innovation at TGH and managing director of TGH Innoventures. "This investment emphasizes our commitment to driving growth and providing value to companies we believe have the potential to transform the future of healthcare." 

ABOUT RECORA

Recora's mission is to redefine the future of heart health. Recora's Cardiac Recovery Program for health systems, medical groups and health plans makes it easier to recover from a cardiac event through immersive programs delivered online. With Recora, health care providers are able to establish a longitudinal relationship with patients and help them live longer, fuller lives. To learn more, visit recora.com. 

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL 

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings — first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and third out of 100 Florida companies in the 2021 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

Media Contacts: 

Adam Hritzak
Director of Marketing, Recora
(614) 946-7916 | adam@recora.com

Karen Barrera                                                                      
Assistant Director Communications & Partnerships                                  
(813) 928-1603 | kbarrera@tgh.org                                                             

Source: Recora