What are the benefits from participation in cardiac rehab?

• Live longer and reduce your chances for another heart attack
• Medically supervised by healthcare providers
• Your doctor can follow your progress throughout the program
• Manage your heart disease symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath
• Numerous group educational classes offered throughout the program for you to participate in
• Stop or reverse the damage of your blood vessels in your heart from heart disease
• Reduce the physical and emotional toll of heart disease
• Getting you back to the activities you enjoy including work, hobbies, and regular exercise by improving your strength and endurance.
• Improves your self-esteem and overall well-being

Individuals who have one of following conditions or events/procedures:

• Heart Attack
• Angina
• Cardiac surgery, such as coronary bypass or valve surgery
• Coronary artery angioplasty or stents
• Heart failure
• Heart transplantation
• Peripheral artery disease or PAD

Expect to participate in 2 clinically supervised group exercises a week for 2-3 months. Being clinically supervised includes working with a collaborative team of exercise physiologists, registered nurses, nutritionists, mental health coaches, and physicians that will guide you through your journey. Exercise Physiologists will routinely check blood pressure, heart rates, oxygen levels, and other various symptom checks throughout your exercise.

If you are diabetic, cardiac rehabilitation will routinely check your blood sugar and help you manage and improve your diabetes. You will be monitored by our portable EKG telemetry devices throughout each of your sessions. Educational classes regarding risk factor reduction are presented once a week to help you understand heart disease and lifestyle prevention.

Cardiac Rehab services assess your personal risk factors for your heart and blood vessel disease. It can help support to make healthy lifestyle changes by providing nutritional consultation, mental health and stress relief guidance and exercise, tobacco cessation counseling, home exercise planning, and group counseling sessions.

Cardiac Rehab can help you learn how to monitor and have better control of your blood pressure, lipids/cholesterol, and diabetes. It can help you maintain a healthy weight. You will learn how to create your own exercise plan and use key fundamental strategies that lead to long-term success.

A single cardiac rehab session lasts 45-60 minutes. The duration of the entire program is between 2-3 months.

Cardiac Rehabilitation is designed to educate and guide you through all of the progressive behavioral stages of change one would experience while participating in an exercise and lifestyle management program. At the completion of the program, you will have all the necessary tools and confidence to continue your routine for the remainder of your lifetime.

Do I need a referral to join cardiac rehab?

For cardiac rehabilitation to be covered by your insurance a referral is needed by your doctor to participate in cardiac rehabilitation.

How can I learn more information?

You can learn more information by contacting our cardiac rehabilitation program at 212-241-8597 and asking to speak with one of our representatives or you can visit our cardiac rehab information page on the Mount Sinai website by going to our Heart-Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery services page.

Cardiac Rehabilitation is covered by most health insurance companies, but we always recommend checking with your plan to determine copays or other requirements.

What is medical fitness?

Medical Fitness is a clinically based one-on-one exercise program prescribed by your doctor to help improve any pre-existing metabolic condition(s), cardiovascular illness, and/or body composition and flexibility dysfunction(s) you might have.

Who is eligible for medical fitness?

Anyone is eligible for medical fitness.

How can I benefit from this program?

The benefit from expert guidance and supervision provides accountability unmatched anywhere else. Participants can experience:

1. weight loss
2. muscle strength improvements
3. cardiovascular conditioning
4. flexibility improvement
5. nutrition counseling

Our goal is to create a sustainable approach to achieving the recommended dose of daily exercise and physical activity to live a healthy lifestyle.

What should I expect from medical fitness?

All individuals receive an initial one-on-one consultation with a clinical exercise physiologist. The consultation consists of a review of your past medical history, a discussion to create personal goals, a cardiovascular fitness test, and a personal routine/plan that will help you achieve your goals. Following your initial consultation, you will have 3 follow-up 30–60-minute exercise sessions with an exercise physiologist. These sessions will ensure that you are performing the prescribed exercises correctly with appropriate form and function. Vitals, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation will also be assessed during your session to guarantee no undue symptoms occur.