Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Recovering from a heart or lung condition, like a heart attack or pulmonary fibrosis, can be challenging. Our rehab team can help you get stronger through your recovery journey. We’ll also help you make lifestyle changes to improve your quality of life, possibly preventing further heart and lung issues.

Ronnie Moore

We understand the importance of getting back to a more normal routine after experiencing a major health complication. Our cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation team helps you regain the mental and physical strength to do just that.

Rehabilitation is just as important for your future as it is for your immediate recovery. Our rehab team provides guidance for creating healthier everyday habits to manage your risk factors.

Key areas that we focus on include:

Exercise
Diet
Mindfulness
Stress reduction
Weight reduction

A personalized rehab plan

Not all rehabilitation looks the same. That’s why we create a treatment plan designed around your specific conditions and abilities. We then build upon that as you get more comfortable.

We take a holistic approach to rehab, focusing on your overall health and lifestyle. This means your care team will include a wide range of specialists, including dietitians, physical therapists and respiratory therapists.

Here are the steps of your rehab:

Your rehab starts when you’re in the hospital. You’ll meet with a rehab specialist to go over your health history and a recovery plan.
After your release from the hospital, you’ll start a rehab program that includes exercise, nutrition counseling and more.

Rehab classes are tailored to your individual needs, and our rehab specialists offer intensive cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation and outpatient respiratory rehabilitation services.

Intensive cardiac rehabilitation is done through three one-hour classes per week over 12 weeks, including education and group exercise sessions. This program can be shortened to meet your individual needs.
Patients with COPD or who are recovering from COVID-19 may receive up to 72 total sessions of pulmonary rehabilitation.
Outpatient respiratory services are offered twice weekly for 36 sessions and can be renewed as needed.

Referrals to specialists

Given the nature of many cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, there may be other health complications that emerge during rehab. In that case, we’ll connect you with a specialist to address any complications. And we’ll work with you to keep your recovery on track.

Intensive cardiac rehab

We also offer Pritikin ICR (Intensive Cardiac Rehab), a Medicare-approved educational program that offers additional benefits.

The program is typically available for patients with more severe and complex conditions. It includes:

Double the number of rehab sessions compared to standard cardiac rehab
A deeper dive into learning fundamental lifestyle changes
Cooking classes to help you enjoy preparing your own meals with ingredients that you control
In person or virtual session

Home-based options

Your rehab plan may also include an at-home exercise plan. For example, your rehab specialists may recommend an upper-body exercise program that you can do at home.

Home-based exercises can help speed up your recovery and provide relief from symptoms like back or leg pain. They can also be helpful if it is difficult for you to get to your rehab facility in person.

Mindfulness practice for veterans

Veterans often face PTSD and other unique challenges in their recovery. With this in mind, we run a specialized, eight-week program to help improve their rehab participation.

Mindfulness activities are a large part of this recovery effort. And research shows these activities increase resiliency and optimism.

Do you qualify for cardiac and pulmonary rehab?

Rehab usually begins a month or two following a procedure, such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

To be eligible for rehab, you must:

Be medically stable.
Have minimal to no symptoms (e.g., chest pain, shortness of breath).
Have a recommendation from your doctor.
Have a qualifying diagnosis.

Cardio rehab qualifying diagnoses

Stable angina
Heart attack
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty/stent
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG)
Valve surgery
Heart transplant
Heart failure ejection fraction of less than 35%
Peripheral artery disease (PAD)

Pulmonary rehab qualifying diagnoses

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Pulmonary fibrosis
Emphysema
Asthma
Cystic fibrosis
Pulmonary hypertension
Lung cancer
Lung transplant

Insurance coverage assistance

Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehab is usually covered by most insurance providers for the diagnoses listed above. If you’re unsure if rehab will be covered by your current insurance plan, we will assist with contacting your insurance provider to determine coverage before your initial session.