Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation

Working together, Saint Joseph Hospital and National Jewish Health offer an Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation program for patients with severe heart disease. Based on Ornish Lifestyle Medicine™, the program and approach have demonstrated significant improvement in patients with heart disease for more than 35 years.

In fact, based on a 2011 study of 4,000 patients in Pennsylvania, Nebraska and West Virginia who participated in the program, after a year:

96.5% of patients reported improvement in severity of angina
The average patient lost 15.9 pounds
Most patients saw significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol
Patients averaged a 24% increase in exercise capacity
Participants saw improvement is mental health outlook and decreased diabetic risk factors

Program Details

Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation is a 9-week program made up of 4-hour weekly sessions. The sessions are conducted in small groups and facilitated by a team of certified and trained staff who reinforce four dimensions of lifestyle change.

Advanced Cardiac Imaging

Advanced Heart Failure Program

Cardio-Obstetrics Program

Cardio-Oncology Program

Cardiothoracic Surgery

Clinical Cardiology

Electrophysiology

Interventional Cardiology

Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation

Peripheral Artery Disease

Structural Heart Disease Program

Clinical Care and Services

Supervised activity and exercise by certified exercise physiologists
Nutrition counseling from a registered dietitian
Stress management training overseen by a certified yoga and mindfulness instruction
Emotional support groups led by a psychologist or social worker

Program Candidates and Indications

The Intensive Cardiac Rehabilitation accepts patients with physician referral with indications that include:

Recent coronary artery bypass surgery
Current, stable chest pain (angina)
Heart attack within last 12 months
Heart valve repair or replacement
Angioplasty or stent placement
Heart or heart-lung transplant
Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction of 35% or less

Find a Location