September 1, 2021 – Updated June 9, 2022
September is National Cholesterol Education Month and September 29th is World Heart Day
September is National Cholesterol Education Month and September 29th is World Heart Day. While there are some risk factors for cardiovascular disease that we can’t control such as age, family history, and ethnicity, we do have control over other risk factors such as lack of exercise, smoking, and poor diet. Since controlling cholesterol and a healthy heart go together, it only makes sense to recognize these two observances together. The CDC reports that 93 million people in the US have a total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or above and almost 29 million have a total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or above (High Cholesterol Facts, 2021). This can lead to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.
However, with regular screening and follow-up care, cardiovascular disease may be preventable. There are several steps you can take to promote the health of your Medicare beneficiaries.
- Encourage your patients to schedule annual wellness visits and health screenings.
- Talk to your patients about heart health including risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
- Educate your patients on healthy habits such as exercising, eating a well-balanced diet including foods that are low in salt, fat, and cholesterol, lowering stress levels, controlling weight (or losing weight if needed), and getting enough sleep.
- Instruct your patients on the effects of smoking. Medicare covers counseling to prevent tobacco use for those patients that qualify. Discuss this Medicare covered benefit with your patients and encourage them to enroll.
- Medicare covers Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Cardiovascular Disease and Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Obesity for those patients that qualify. Discuss this Medicare covered benefits with your patients and encourage them to enroll if applicable.
To learn more about Medicare-covered services, visit CMS Preventive Services
- Cardiovascular Disease Screening Tests
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
- Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for Obesity
- Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use
For More Information
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease (210.11) (cms.gov)
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Intensive Behavioral Therapy for Obesity (210.12) (cms.gov)
- National Coverage Determination (NCD) for Counseling to Prevent Tobacco Use (210.4.1) (cms.gov)
- Cholesterol Information | cdc.gov
- World Heart Day (world-heart-federation.org)
- What is Cholesterol? | American Heart Association
- Blood Cholesterol | NHLBI, NIH (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Million Hearts | CMS Innovation Center
- Million Hearts® (hhs.gov)
- Preventive & Screening Services (medicare.gov)
References:
- High Cholesterol Facts. (2021, September 27). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/facts.htm