The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation National Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry: Design and Participant Characteristics.

Purpose: To describe the design of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) National Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) registry and the demographic and clinical characteristics of enrolled participants.

Methods: We defined enrollment as attending at least 1 CR session. Participant characteristics are expressed as median (IQR) or number (%). We used participant zip codes to determine the county of residence and created a heat map of participants per county in the continental US. In those aged 65 years and older, we compared participant characteristics with published data on Medicare beneficiaries in CR.

Results: From 2012 to 2021, 489 507 individuals from 702 programs have enrolled. Median age is 67 years (59, 74), 70% are male, 77% are White, and 99% have health insurance. Cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and use of secondary prevention medications are highly prevalent. A coronary artery disease-related diagnosis is the primary admission diagnosis for 78% of enrollees, while only 6% have a primary admission diagnosis of heart failure. At least 1 participant resides in 78% of continental US counties, with more representation in counties from the upper Midwest, East Coast, and southwestern US. Demographic characteristics of those aged 65 years and older are similar to the CR samples of Medicare beneficiaries.

Conclusions: The AACVPR CR registry provides a wealth of data to examine patient outcomes and quality of care in CR. Females, non-White individuals, those with heart failure, and those who are uninsured are underrepresented in the AACVPR CR registry, reflecting national trends.