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New Framework For Cardiovascular Care Delivery & Implementation Calls For Incorporating Behavioral & Psychosocial Health 

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By OPEN MINDS Circle

Building on the growing recognition of social determinants as drivers of health, a new framework for cardiovascular care delivery and implementation developed by the American College of Cardiology recommends incorporating strategies to assess and mitigate behavioral and psychosocial concerns. Health systems may be able to reduce workload pressures and deliver care more efficiently to achieve good outcomes by managing the consumer’s behavioral health challenges, the framework suggests.

The new framework acknowledges the influence of behavioral and psychosocial factors—including smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet, sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and stress—on cardiovascular risk and prognosis, treatment adherence, and health care use. 

Key screening and assessment and referral recommendations include: 

  • Assessments should incorporate psychological and social risk elements, prognosis indicators, quality of life measures, and consumer and family satisfaction levels.
  • The assessment should also include a financial impact analysis.  
  • To address behavioral and psychosocial concerns, which are common among people with cardiovascular disease, the framework recommended that health systems integrate cardiac psychologists into care teams, use centralized and remote behavioral health models, leverage digital health technology, and consider monitoring additional outcome metrics.

This framework was developed when the American College of Cardiology partnered with Med Axiom on a series of care transformation resources to help health systems integrate new care models. The series includes approaches tailored to specific clinical objectives, consumer populations, and nonclinical determinants of health. The series also included implementation strategies for team-based care optimization, appropriate care setting, and creation of an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled health care professional and health system. 

Additional details about the key strategies were as follows:  

  • Cardiac psychologists are trained to manage the psychological and social factors that influence heart health and cardiovascular conditions. They provide treatment for depression and anxiety or other emotional challenges. Integrating cardiac psychologists into health care teams leads to better consumer compliance with treatment plans, improved health outcomes, and higher consumer satisfaction levels.  
  • Centralized, technology-enabled care can cost-effectively improve the accessibility and convenience of psychological care to treat depressive symptoms following an acute heart event. Adopting centralized and telehealth-based care frameworks to deliver behavioral health care can maximize the effectiveness of cardiac psychologists. 
  • Digital technology-based solutions can include online programs, virtual consultations, distance monitoring systems, computerized cognitive behavioral therapy, and AI-powered tool. Adopting them can increase convenience and access to treatment for people being treated for cardiac disease. Digital solutions support customized treatment approaches while reducing staffing needs, educational requirements, and physical space demands. 

These recommendations were presented in Best Practices for Transforming Cardiovascular Care Delivery and Implementation: A Modern Framework, by Ami B. Bhatt, Ginger K. Biesbrock, and Cathleen Biga. The goal was to offer a strategic approach to guarantee that cardiovascular care is both accessible and appropriate for the needs of diverse consumer populations. egic approach to guarantee that cardiovascular care is both accessible and appropriate for the needs of diverse consumer populations. 

The full text of Best Practices for Transforming Cardiovascular Care Delivery and Implementation: A Modern Framework was published on April 3, 2025, by JACC Journals. A free copy is available (accessed July 10, 2025). 

For more information, contact: American College of Cardiology, 2400 North Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20037; 202-375-6000; Fax: 202-375-6802; Email: membercare@my.acc.org; Website: https://www.acc.org/