Ohio State offers Phase 1, Phase 2 and Maintenance cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Phase 1: This component of cardiac rehabilitation occurs during your hospital stay. A cardiac rehabilitation team member provides education and information to ease the transition from hospital to home.

Phase 2: Phase 2 begins after your hospital discharge. It includes exercise supervised and monitored by cardiac nurses and exercise physiologists, in-depth education about heart disease risk factors and counseling on lifestyle changes.

After a rehabilitation evaluation, which may include an exercise stress test, you begin a personalized exercise and education program. You may attend up to 36 sessions depending on your insurance coverage.

Fitness Maintenance Program: Once you have completed Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation, you may enter a Fitness Maintenance Program. This is an ongoing program that helps you maintain an exercise routine and offers continued staff and peer support.

Cardiac rehabilitation is a long-term maintenance program, and you'll need to continue the lifestyle habits and follow the skills you learned in the program for the rest of your life. To get the most benefits from the program, make sure your exercise and lifestyle practices become lifelong habits.

The goal is that at the end of the program you'll have the tools and lifestyle habits to lead to an improvement in your overall quality of life Over the long term, you may:

• Gain strength
• Learn heart-healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise and a heart-healthy diet
• Quit bad habits, such as smoking 
• Manage and maintain a healthy weight
• Find ways to manage and reduce stress
• Learn how to cope with heart disease
• Decrease your risk of of future heart problems

Education is an important part of your rehabilitation. You and your family will learn about heart conditions, lifestyle management and prevention strategies. Educational sessions include:

• Nutrition and weight management
• Diabetes management
• Cholesterol and blood pressure treatment
• Medications
• Stress management
• Cardiovascular and muscle fitness
• Smoking cessation
• Other factors that contribute to heart disease

A physician referral is required to enroll in the Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation program. The Maintenance program is open to anyone and may need physician approval.

Many medical insurance policies, including Medicare, cover Phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation. However, there will be variation on the number of sessions allowed based on your benefits. You should consult with your health insurance carrier or company benefits administrator for an explanation of Phase 2 coverage.

Please note that our Fitness Maintenance Program is not recognized as a covered benefit for Medicare or private insurance carriers.

Ohio State’s cardiac rehabilitation team is composed of nationally recognized experts who are dedicated to caring for people with heart problems. As part of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, the cardiac rehabilitation team has access to the latest in cardiac rehabilitation treatments, therapies, innovation and research.

Your personal case manager will guide your rehabilitative process and develop a program designed to meet your unique needs and goals. We will consider your medical history, stress test results and responses to health questionnaires to create your specific, personally achievable goals and targets.

Your multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation team will consist of:

• Physicians
• Nurses
• Exercise physiologists
• Dietitians
• Pharmacists
• Behavioral medicine specialists