Cardiac Rehabilitation Overview

What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Cardiac Rehabilitation is an important part of healing from your heart issue. A specific treatment plan will be made for you. This will include looking at your current physical strength and endurance. Then an exercise plan will be made just for you. You will also learn how to eat heart healthy, maintain a healthy weight, and quit smoking. People in rehab have had these issues:

• Heart Attack

• Stable Angina

• Coronary artery angioplasty or stents

• Coronary artery bypass graft surgery

• Heart valve repair or replacement

• Heart failure and those with ventricular assist devices

• Heart transplantation

Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation gets you back to being yourself. It will help you improve your stamina and strength. The goal is to  help you get back to work and hobbies. 

Other benefits:  

• Reducing the chance of another heart event.

• Control symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

• Stop or reverse damage to the blood vessels in your heart.

• Lessen the physical and emotional effects of heart disease.

• Improve your confidence and well-being.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Offers:

• Begin an exercise plan that works for you. 

• Monitor and improve control of blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. 

• Psychological/stress assessment and counseling.

• You can meet and share stories with other patients like you.

• Talk with your doctor and other healthcare providers about your progress following your heart event.

What to expect

A normal Cardiac Rehabilitation program is 3 sessions per week for 12 weeks. Each session lasts about an hour. This one hour includes both exercise and education. Your exercise program will be designed for you. At first you will be closely supervised. As you become stronger and more confident you will become more independent. 

Your exercise sessions may include equipment such as a treadmill, exercise bike and weights for strength training. The exercises you do will be designed just for you. Wear clothing and shoes that you will be comfortable in. 

When picking a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program consider: 

• Time: Is the program offered at a time you can be there? 

• Place: Is the program easy to get to? 

• Services: Does the program offer the services you need? 

• Setting: Is it a group or individual program? Is it in a facility or will you do most of your physical activity at home? 

• Cost: Can you afford it? Is it covered by your health plan or Medicare?

Check with your health insurance about copays. The billing codes are 93798 and 93797.

Contact your local Cardiac Rehabilitation facility about programs available for patients who do not have insurance.

If you have any questions or concerns about his handout, please call us at:

UW Health Preventive Cardiology/Cardiac Rehabilitation 

(608) 263-6630 

(Monday - Friday 8:00-4:30 PM)