Heart function clinic

Emergency Room referrals

• Congestive Heart Failure not requiring urgent admission

Cardiology Ward, CICU, and General Medicine Ward referrals

• Rapid review of patients discharged with a main diagnosis of heart failure who do not have a cardiologist
• Rapid review of patients discharged with a main diagnosis of heart failure who have a cardiologist, but cannot be seen by their own cardiologist within 2 weeks of discharge; patients will be seen within 2 weeks of discharge as a bridge to their usual outpatient cardiology care with the intent of reducing re-hospitalizations.

Family physician referrals

• As an option to an emergency room assessment for decompensated heart failure when indicated for family physicians within Sunnybrook and the North Toronto OHT catchment area. Patients must already have a diagnosis of heart failure.

Transfers from GIM Rapid Referral Clinic

• Patients who do not have a cardiologist and require ongoing follow up for heart failure

Referrals from other specialists

• Patients who do not have a cardiologist, and require assistance with management of heart failure due to clinical decompensation

Exclusions include:

• The clinic is not available to review non-urgent heart failure patients, or arrange a transfer of care from one cardiologist to another.