Failure to Launch

There is a pressing need to translate evidence for heart failure (HF) therapies into contemporary practice. Medications that improve HF morbidity and mortality remain underused because of complex barriers at multiple levels across the health care ecosystem. High-quality implementation trials demonstrate that specific interventions can increase prescription, intensification, and persistence of HF medication. However, evidence-based interventions have not been widely implemented across health care organizations in the United States. This review explores 5 key strategies—patient activation, audit and feedback, rapid intensive initiation of medical therapy, virtual care teams, and clinical decision support tools—and discusses barriers to their widespread adoption. Although some barriers are specific to an intervention, others stem from systemic limitations among health care organizations and the health policy landscape. Using lessons learned from recent trials, this review also highlights future investigations needed to address these barriers, encourages uptake of successful implementation strategies, and discusses common approaches that should be abandoned.