Chronic Heart Failure Care Network in Italy: Results from the Regioni 3.0 and ANMCO Heart Failure Working Group Surveys
Fabiana Lucà, Alessandro Navazio, Samuela Carigi, Mauro Gori, Giovanna Geraci, Luisa De Gennaro, Concetta Di Nora, Paolo Manca, Maria Vittoria Matassini, Vittoria Rizzello, Maria Denitza Tinti, Matteo Bianco, Renata De Maria, Vittorio Palmieri, Daniela Aschieri, Ilaria Battistoni, Claudio Bilato, Stefania Angela Di Fusco, Vered Gil Ad, Attilio Iacovoni, Barbara Maria Teresa Mabritto, Massimo Milli, Pietro Scicchitano, Francesco Vigorito, Michele Massimo Gulizia, Furio Colivicchi, Fabrizio Oliva, Federico Nardi, Massimo GrimaldiBackground: Heart failure (HF) remains a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilisation, requiring integrated multidisciplinary care across hospital and community settings. This study aimed to describe the organisation of HF care and post-discharge management in Italy through two complementary national surveys promoted by the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO). Methods: Two complementary cross-sectional organisational surveys were conducted to describe the organisation of HF care in Italy. The Regioni 3.0 survey, performed between November 2023 and September 2024, collected 196 responses from directors of cardiology departments and HF Centers regarding organisational resources, post-discharge follow-up pathways, and integration with community healthcare services. A second survey, administered during the ANMCO Heart Failure Centers Convention in October 2024, collected 135 responses on discharge planning and outpatient follow-up practices. Results: HF outpatient clinics were available in 85.7% of Centers, whereas only 42.6% reported non-physician staff specifically assigned to HF care. Structured post-discharge follow-up pathways were reported by 91.3% of Centers, but functional links with primary care or community healthcare services were present in only 47.7%. Medication reconciliation and patient education were routinely performed in most Centers, whereas telemonitoring systems were available in approximately one-third of respondents. Conclusions: HF care in Italy is supported by a widespread network of outpatient clinics and structured post-discharge follow-up pathways. However, important organizational gaps remain in multidisciplinary staffing, hospital–community integration, and telemonitoring, highlighting the need to strengthen multidisciplinary resources, improve hospital–community integration, and expand telemonitoring to support more coordinated HF care nationwide.