Benson Hospital marked the one-year anniversary of their Telehealth Cardiac Rehabilitation Program last week.
Rural Arizona faces challenges because of workforce shortages of healthcare providers of all kinds, including cardiology. With many patients unable or unwilling to travel more than 30 miles to participate in rehabilitation, the Benson Hospital Telehealth Cardiac Rehab Program has been transformative. For those recovering from cardiac events, the burden of driving over 100 miles, twice a week for 16 weeks, has been eliminated, offering a lifeline to recovery and well-being.
In its inaugural year of operation, Benson Hospital’s Telehealth Cardiac Rehab Program, in collaboration with Tucson Medical Center, has provided an impressive 601 hours of cardiac rehab care, saving 60,000 patient travel miles and eliminating 1,200 hours of commute time (preventing 2,100 metric tons of carbon emissions).
AzPHA member Jason Zibart, Community Connected Health Manager at Benson Hospital says “The importance of this program cannot be overstated. By providing high-quality cardiac rehab close to home, we are not only enhancing patient care but also significantly reducing transportation insecurity issues, mileage, and missed work hours for our patients and their caregivers. It’s a game-changer in terms of access to vital cardiac rehabilitation services.”
