Am I Eligible for Cardiac Rehab?
Is cardiac rehab for me?
People of all ages with heart conditions can benefit from a cardiac rehab program.
You may benefit if you have or have experienced a:
- Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- Heart condition, such as coronary artery disease, or CAD; angina; or heart failure
- Heart procedure or surgery, including coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG surgery; percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, including coronary or balloon angioplasty and stenting; valve replacement; a pacemaker; or implantable cardioverter defibrillator, also known as an ICD
Is cardiac rehab covered by insurance?
Medicare and most other insurers provide reimbursement for cardiac rehab undertaken after most of the conditions outlined above.
Exceptions include cardiac rehab in the wake of procedures to implant a pacemaker or ICD. And coverage after heart failure is limited to patients with a heart that has very limited ability to pump out blood. (In medical terms, this is called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or HFrEF, which affects about half the population with heart failure.)
Check with your medical team and insurer to determine whether cardiac rehab is covered under your insurance plan.