Heart Failure Outpatient Management Project Launches, Ushering in a New Era of Digital Chronic Disease Management

Shanghai, April 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the "Out-of-Hospital Heart Failure Management Project" was officially launched. The initiative was jointly organized and initiated by the National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, the Cardiovascular Disease Professional Committee of the Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center under the National Health Commission, the Heart Failure Group of the Chinese Society of Cardiology, and the Beijing Heart Society, with sponsorship from Novartis and support from Tencent. This project innovatively leverages big data and, for the first time, employs an intelligent management platform for heart failure to monitor and follow up with patients outside hospital settings, thereby establishing a novel chronic disease management model that integrates in-hospital enrollment with out-of-hospital care. "Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI)," a collaborative solution developed by Novartis and Tencent, will serve as the intelligent management platform for this project. Centered on patient needs and intelligent management, it aims to empower patients to engage in thoughtful and convenient self-management of their condition.

Construction of an Out-of-Hospital Heart Failure Management System is the focal point of the out-of-hospital heart failure management project. In the first phase, the project plans to cover nearly 500 hospitals across China and more than 60,000 patients. Leveraging the intelligent management capabilities of the digital platform “Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI),” the initiative organically integrates physician recommendations, specialist nurse-led care, and patient self-management to establish a one-stop, whole-course disease management mechanism. Meanwhile, the project will conduct three-month monitoring and follow-up for out-of-hospital heart failure patients, further enhancing their disease management capabilities and treatment adherence, thereby effectively improving prognosis.

Standardization of Out-of-Hospital Disease Management Providing New Insights for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Diseases 

Heart failure is the terminal stage of all cardiovascular diseases. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and valvular heart disease are all high-risk factors for heart failure. Currently, there are at least 10 million patients with heart failure in China.^[1], and the current status of disease management for these patients is concerning, with an average of 2.4 hospitalizations per year^[2], and approximately 50% of heart failure patients die within 5 years after diagnosis^{[3] [4]}Professor Ma Changsheng, Director of the Heart Center at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, pointed out, “Although the current status of heart failure patients is not optimistic, with survival rates even lower than those of various cancers, heart failure is not a terminal illness. Treatment for heart failure requires long-term management. Even if symptoms improve, it is essential to strictly follow medical advice, adhere to standardized medication regimens, and conduct long-term monitoring of disease-related indicators to reduce hospitalization rates, improve quality of life, and achieve better treatment outcomes.”

During hospitalization, heart failure patients receive close monitoring of their condition by nurses, resulting in high overall treatment adherence. After discharge, however, practical challenges—such as insufficient patient understanding of the disease, difficulty distinguishing accurate from misleading external health information, delays in treatment and indicator monitoring, and inconveniences in follow-up visits and medication procurement—often lead to improper disease management and subsequent recurrent hospitalizations. Therefore, it is imperative to adopt a dual approach combining in-hospital diagnosis and treatment with out-of-hospital management, establishing a standardized and comprehensive long-term care system for heart failure patients, and developing an intelligent platform that is user-friendly and enables effective self-management.

Technology-Enabled Chronic Disease Management Mini ProgramPlay a Major Role 

“Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI)” serves as the digital hub for out-of-hospital heart failure management, providing crucial platform support for the smooth implementation of chronic disease management programs for heart failure patients outside hospital settings. Fan Wei, Dean of the Tencent Medical AI Lab, introduced that this disease management platform, built on a WeChat Mini Program, features convenience and intelligence, comprehensively optimizing the home-based management experience for heart failure patients.

China’s First AI-Based Heart Failure Disease Management Platform—“Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI)”—Released Its Beta Version in November 2019. As the inaugural outcome of the strategic partnership between Novartis and Tencent, it not only demonstrates how artificial intelligence empowers medical transformation and innovation, but also addresses the unmet need for long-term disease management among heart failure patients. Its first comprehensive application in an out-of-hospital heart failure management program has officially launched a new model of daily care for millions of heart failure patients, thereby realizing patient-centric digital chronic disease management.

Ms. Zhang Ying, President of Novartis China, expressed strong confidence in digital chronic disease management. She emphasized, “As a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Novartis has consistently embraced and invested in digital healthcare innovation. I am delighted to see that ‘Heart Care AI,’ launched through the collaboration between Novartis and Tencent, is now officially live and contributing to the establishment of a standardized framework for out-of-hospital heart failure management. By addressing the practical pain points in heart failure disease management, this initiative supports systematic disease management for millions of heart failure patients across the continuum from in-hospital to out-of-hospital care, thereby improving their health and quality of life.”

Zhang Meng, Vice President of Tencent Medical, stated, “Digital technologies bring new approaches and mindsets to addressing human health challenges. Guided by its vision and mission of ‘Tech for Good,’ Tencent is committed to opening up its technologies to unlock greater possibilities in healthcare, empowering patients to enhance their health awareness and enabling healthcare professionals to improve efficiency, thereby boosting overall medical efficacy. The digital management platform for heart failure exemplifies our collaborative innovation with Novartis in applying artificial intelligence to the prevention and control of chronic diseases. Looking ahead, we will deepen this partnership to better serve patient health and contribute to the realization of the ‘Healthy China 2030’ initiative.”

[1] 2018 China International Heart Failure Conferencehttp://www.chinahf.org/portal.php?mod=view&aid=278

[2] Huang et al. J of Medical Economics20:5, 549-553, DOI:10.1080/13696998.2017.1297309

[3] Xu Y, et al. Exp Ther Med. 2013 Dec;6(6):1437-1442.

[4] Zeng H, et al. Int J Cancer. 2015 Apr 15;136(8):1921-30.