Andie MacDowell Introduces Time to Talk CARDIO Program

For more info visit www.newsinfusion.com Award-winning actress and heart health advocate, Andie MacDowell, and Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), have partnered to highlight the importance of effective communication between patients and health care professionals (HCPs) by introducing an innovative program: Time to Talk CARDIO – Creating A Real Dialogue In the Office. Time to Talk CARDIO is designed to help patients and health care professionals have more productive conversations about heart health. The program, piloted by select physician practices and evaluated through in-clinic testing, has shown positive results for both patients and HCPs. To learn more about Time to Talk CARDIO, an educational program underwritten by Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck) and developed in partnership with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation, Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) and RIASWorks, visit www.timetotalkcardio.com.] “Two priorities of my service as Surgeon General of the United States and of my life’s work are to increase the attention and effort focused on preventing disease and to improve the health literacy of all people," said Dr. Carmona. "While we’ve made great progress in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, many patients fail to experience the full benefit from their treatment plans for a variety of reasons. Time to Talk CARDIO was created to help improve the communication between patients and health care professionals.” There is strong evidence showing that empowered patient-provider communication offers many benefits for patients, including increased understanding, satisfaction and may improve health outcomes. The need for better dialogue is particularly important when discussing cardiovascular disease, which causes more than 870,000 deaths in the United States each year, and along with stroke, is projected to cost $503.2 billion in 2010. “After losing my mother to a heart attack, I realized how ...