HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 55

BY  UPMEYER and H. MILLER

A Resolution requesting that the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health study the management and treatment of atrial fibrillation.

   WHEREAS, atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common serious heart rhythm disorder and causes 15 percent of all strokes in the United States; and
   WHEREAS, atrial fibrillation affects more than 2.3 million Americans, which number is expected to more than double to 5.6 million Americans by 2050; and
   WHEREAS, one in four people aged 40 years or older develop atrial fibrillation during their lifetime; and
   WHEREAS, atrial fibrillation causes the heart to beat irregularly or out of rhythm, with the result that people with AFib are nearly five times more likely to have a stroke than someone without the condition; and
   WHEREAS, AFib-related strokes are about twice as likely to be fatal and about twice as likely to be severely disabling than strokes that are not related to AFib; and
   WHEREAS, three out of four AFib-related strokes can be prevented, but many patients are not aware of their risk and do not take action to prevent a stroke; and
   WHEREAS, the estimated direct medical costs of strokes for 2007 totalled $25.2 billion, including hospital outpatient or office-based provider visits, hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, prescribed medicines, and home health care; and
   WHEREAS, appropriate stroke prevention measures for persons affected by AFib can effectively reduce the overall financial burden of the illness within public assistance programs such as Medicaid and Medicare; and
   WHEREAS, reducing the risk of stroke related to AFib may maintain self-sufficiency on the part of patients cared for within public assistance programs; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives requests that the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health study the feasibility of implementing an audit program to assess chronic disease management of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients using available public and private sources of funding in an effort to identify opportunities to reduce the financial and clinical burden of AFib-related strokes on Iowa, and on public assistance programs including Medicare and Medicaid; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That at the conclusion of the study, a report of findings and recommendations be prepared and provided to the General Assembly so that it can evaluate the effectiveness of the current quality of care within public assistance programs including Medicare and Medicaid.