ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03334188EPIC-HFUpdated Oct 6, 2021Results posted

Electronic Health Record-leveraged, Patient-centered, Intensification of Chronic Care for HF

An interventional study of Patient engagement materials and No Intervention--Usual Care in Patient Engagement, Medication Optimization and Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction, sponsored by University of Colorado, Denver. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-10-06.

Sponsored by University of Colorado, Denver · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

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Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
306
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-14

Among 154 studies in Patient Participation with a site in United States — 27 open to participants now, 31 under way, none of them phase 3. Patient Participation · United States.

Enrollment
42nd of 139
306 · median 130
Started
2018
with 5 others
No phase
132 of 154
24 open now
Registered
43rd of 154
by date

Among the 154 studies in Patient Participation with a site in United States, this one is the 42nd largest by enrollment of the 139 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 6 that started in 2018, is one of 132 with no phase, and was the 43rd registered.

Patient Participation

409 studies on the registry are indexed under Patient Participation; 100 are open to participants now.

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Open to participants now

27 of the 154 studies in Patient Participation with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:

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A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →

Who these studies take

Of the 48 Patient Participation studies recruiting now, 32 (67%) set no upper age limit and 9 (19%) stop at 75 or younger; 10 take children under 18; 11 take healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years and older · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

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02

Study summary

The EPIC-HF study will test the effectiveness of a patient empowerment and activation for optimization of Heart Failure with reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) medication plans. Three main regional centers in the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) system will participate in a two-arm, randomized study design. In this design, each site participates in both control and intervention, with members of the sites eligible patient population randomly enrolled in either the intervention or the control arm. All eligible patients who agree to participate in the study will complete the Baseline Survey, the Follow-Up Survey, and will have information collected from their medical record at baseline, 1 month after the first clinic appointment post-enrollment, and 1 year after enrollment. Enrollment will take place at three UCHealth locations: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital (Metro), UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies and UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital (North), and UCHealth Memorial Central and Memorial North (South). Study personnel at the North and South sites will carry out enrollment and Baseline Surveys with patients for those locations; all other study procedures will be conducted by study personnel at the University of Colorado (UC) School of Medicine (SOM) (UCSOM) at UCHealth University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Patients enrolled in the intervention arm will receive, by email and/or text, a link to 1) a short patient engagement video around HFrEF medications, and 2) a link to an online portable document format (PDF) of a HFrEF medication checklist. Patients in the intervention arm will receive these materials after enrollment and one week prior to their next scheduled clinic appointment. The materials will be delivered in a second communication, three days after the first, via text, as well as a third communication on the day of the clinic appointment. Patients enrolled in the control arm will not receive any materials at any point of time and will receive their usual care.

For both arms, medication changes in patient medical records will be assessed before and after clinic visits to measure the effectiveness of the intervention on aim 1; surveys will be compared before and after clinic visits to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on aim 2.

Read the detailed description

Multiple medications improve left ventricular remodeling, quality of life, and survival in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Unfortunately, the real-world use of HFrEF medications is suboptimal, particularly for more recently approved agents such as aldosterone antagonists. The introduction of sacubitril/valsartan and ivabradine add to already complex HFrEF treatment regimens. Without novel mechanisms to improve medication use, the benefits of advances in HF treatment will be largely unrealized.

Efforts to optimize HFrEF medication delivery have focused primarily on 1) provider decision support around prescribing and 2) patient education around adherence. An important gap is the failure to empower patients to engage more directly in HFrEF prescribing efforts. Patients have a direct stake in making sure they are getting efficacious treatments, want to be involved in decisions about their treatments, and if engaged are more likely to adhere to them. Direct-to-consumer marketing and proliferation of shared decision making reflect a culture where patients are increasingly involved in medication prescribing.

Within this context, the American Heart Association (AHA) has funded four centers across the United States to examine ways in which heart failure treatment and prevention may be optimized. The University of Colorado, Denver is one of these sites; The Development and Trial of an Electronic health record-leveraged, Patient-centered, Intensification of Chronic care for Heart Failure Tool (EPIC-HF) is the population-focused arm of study. Inspired by the gap in HFrEF medication optimization, this study aims to develop a patient-centered intervention in order to 1) activate and engage patients with HFrEF in their prescribing regimen, 2) empower them to initiate discussions with their provider about ways in which their medication plan could be improved, which will result in 3) a superior HFrEF medication plan. The investigators modeled this tool with the previous success of flipped classrooms and patient empowerment initiatives in mind. The intervention was iteratively developed with the input of both clinician and patient stakeholders, and is innovative in its emphasis on patient self-actualization and role as an equal with their healthcare provider in the discussion around medication prescribing. This study applies the intervention in a two-arm, randomized controlled trial across three sites (UCHealth metro, Memorial, and Medical Center of the Rockies) in the UCHealth medical system.

Aim 1: Assess the effectiveness of the EPIC-HF intervention on HFrEF medication optimization Hypothesis 1: Compared to usual care, EPIC-HF will increase the number of HFrEF medication optimizations (i.e., dose changes for beta-blockers (βB), Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I)/Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)/sacubitril, Aldosterone Receptor Antagonists (AldaA), Ivabradine, etc.) without compromising secondary outcomes including safety and healthcare provider satisfaction.

Aim 2: Assess the effectiveness of the EPIC-HF intervention on patient empowerment and activation around their HFrEF medication plan Hypothesis 2: Compared to usual care, EPIC-HF will result in increased patient empowerment and activation around their HFrEF medication plan as measured through patient self-assessment

03

Conditions studied

  • Patient Engagement
  • Medication Optimization
  • Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction
  • Patient Activation

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04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. Most recent cardiology imaging study showing (LVEF) \<=40%
  2. A plan for ambulatory clinic appointments in the UCHealth system

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients who have clinic appointments more than 12 months apart
  2. Under 18 years of age
  3. Non-English speaking (decision tools and study assessments are in English only)
  4. Unable to consent (this would include patients with conditions such as moderate-to- severe dementia)
  5. Prisoners
  6. Patients who are enrolled in hospice (increasing curative medications is often not appropriate in these patients)
  7. Patients who are expected to live \< 6 months as documented in the patient's chart by treating clinician.
  8. Continuous IV inotropic support (e.g. dobutamine or milrinone)
  9. (GFR) \< 15 mL/min or chronic renal disease
  10. Patients who have neither an email address nor a phone to which text messages may be sent
  11. Patients with an left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant
  12. Patients who have neither an email address nor a phone to which text messages may be sent
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction)

The share of blood the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) pushes out with each beat, measured by an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or a MUGA scan. About 50–70% is normal.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
306 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Other
    Control

    Patients will receive care-as-usual. The only study procedures patients will be exposed to will be a baseline survey at time of enrollment about their sense of engagement around their HFrEF medication prescribing, as well as a follow-up survey with the same general content one month after their next clinic appointment. Medical record review will occur at baseline (enrollment), 1 month after the next clinic appointment post-enrollment, and at 12 months from enrollment.This arm will include 'No Intervention--Usual Care'.

    Behavioral: No Intervention--Usual Care

  • Active comparator
    Intervention

    Patients will receive the patient engagement video and HFrEF medication checklist by email one week prior to their next clinic appointment after enrollment. Patients in the intervention arm will also receive a baseline survey at time of enrollment about their sense of engagement around their HFrEF medication prescribing, as well as a follow-up survey with the same general content one month after their next clinic appointment. Medical record review will occur at baseline (enrollment), 1 month after the next clinic appointment post-enrollment, and at 12 months from enrollment. This arm will include the 'Intervention :Behavioral: Patient engagement materials.'

    Behavioral: Patient engagement materials

Interventions

  • BehavioralPatient engagement materials

    The intervention is a brief, animated video designed to engage and activate patients around their HFrEF medication prescribing, as well as a HFrEF medication checklist.

  • BehavioralNo Intervention--Usual Care

    Control for intervention--patient receives care as usual from provider to contrast against intervention arm.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent of Participants Who Experienced an Initiation or Intensification of Their Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT)

    The investigators were interested in whether the patient engagement tool led to an increase in the optimization of HFrEF medications for patients. This was measured through medical record review of all medications and doses immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit (enrollment) to 30 days after enrollment.

    Time frame: Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment

Secondary outcomes

  1. Self-Reported Patient Engagement Around HFrEF Medications

    The investigators were interested in whether the patient engagement tool (a 3-minute video and 1-page checklist-delivered electronically 1 week prior, 3 days prior and 24 hours prior to the enrollment cardiology clinic visit) led to an increase in patient sense of engagement around their HFrEF medication prescribing, prompting patients to begin a dialogue with their clinician about their medication plan. This was assessed among the Intervention group by comparing answers from a self-reported survey at 1 month after delivery of intervention materials. Participants were sent the survey and asked if they received and reviewed the intervention materials. Survey measures were included as well as a series of questions asking about how and when medications were discussed during clinical interactions.

    Time frame: 1 month after delivery of intervention materials.

  2. Number of Participants With Initiation/Intensification of Key Heart Failure Medications

    Initiation or intensification of key heart failure medications was determined by medical chart review conducted at immediately following the cardiology clinic appointment (enrollment) and for the clinic visit closest to 1 month (30 days) after the enrollment visit. Raw numbers of participants were analyzed.

    Time frame: Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment

  3. Guideline-directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) Intensifications Per Patient

    Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) intensifications per patient from the pre-clinic visit (enrollment) to 1-month (30 days) after enrollment. This was measured by medical chart reviewing of the pre-clinic visit appointment and the closest clinic appointment preceding the 30 day mark after enrollment. Key: guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT); evidence-based beta blocker (EVBB); angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I); angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB); angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI); mineralocorticoid receptor agonists (MRA); hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate (H/ISDN); Ivabradine (Iva)

    Time frame: Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment

  4. Safety Outcomes

    Unplanned hospitalizations or emergency department visits without hospitalization from the cardiology clinic visit (enrollment) to 1-month (30 days) after enrollment. Hospitalization and emergency department visits were obtained via medical chart review and were analyzed as yes/no per patient.

    Time frame: Enrollment, 1-month (30 days) after Enrollment

07

Results

Posted Sep 17, 2021
Limitations and caveats
We did not measure intolerance and contraindications to GDMT. Randomization occurred at the patient-level rather than the clinician- or site-level, which allowed for potential contamination. Only cardiology specialists were included in this study. The use of a single, regional health system may further limit generalizability. However University of Colorado Health is a diverse system spanning a range of local care approaches, and we over-enrolled under-represented patient groups where possible.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneControlIntervention
Started153153
Completed145145
Not completed88
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject01
Withdrew: Death10
Withdrew: Never had qualifying clinic visit77

Outcome measures

PrimaryPercent of Participants Who Experienced an Initiation or Intensification of Their Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT)

The investigators were interested in whether the patient engagement tool led to an increase in the optimization of HFrEF medications for patients. This was measured through medical record review of all medications and doses immediately preceding the cardiology clinic visit (enrollment) to 30 days after enrollment.

Time frame:
Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment
Reported as:
Number · percentage of participants
Percent of Participants Who Experienced an Initiation or Intensification of Their Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT)
percentage of participantsControlIntervention
Percent of Participants Who Experienced an Initiation or Intensification of Their Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT)29.749.0
SecondarySelf-Reported Patient Engagement Around HFrEF Medications

The investigators were interested in whether the patient engagement tool (a 3-minute video and 1-page checklist-delivered electronically 1 week prior, 3 days prior and 24 hours prior to the enrollment cardiology clinic visit) led to an increase in patient sense of engagement around their HFrEF medication prescribing, prompting patients to begin a dialogue with their clinician about their medication plan. This was assessed among the Intervention group by comparing answers from a self-reported survey at 1 month after delivery of intervention materials. Participants were sent the survey and asked if they received and reviewed the intervention materials. Survey measures were included as well as a series of questions asking about how and when medications were discussed during clinical interactions.

Time frame:
1 month after delivery of intervention materials.
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Self-Reported Patient Engagement Around HFrEF Medications
ParticipantsIntervention - Only
Reported receiving the video81
Reported reviewing the video73
Found the video helpful in understanding their medical plan53
Found the video helpful in discussing their medicines with their doctor51
Reported receiving the checklist83
Reported reviewing the checklist74
Found the checklist helpful in understanding their medical plan56
Found the checklist helpful in discussing their medicines with their doctor48
Brought the checklist to their appointment61
Talked about checklist with doctor at their appointment52
SecondaryNumber of Participants With Initiation/Intensification of Key Heart Failure Medications

Initiation or intensification of key heart failure medications was determined by medical chart review conducted at immediately following the cardiology clinic appointment (enrollment) and for the clinic visit closest to 1 month (30 days) after the enrollment visit. Raw numbers of participants were analyzed.

Time frame:
Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Number of Participants With Initiation/Intensification of Key Heart Failure Medications
ParticipantsControlIntervention
Intensification occurring during cardiology clinic visit (day 1)4261
Any intensification in HFrEF medication, including GDMT, loop diuretic, or digoxin4573
Key heart failure medication added1017
Beta blocker added20
ACE-I added14
ARB added42
ARNI added00
Loop diuretic added00
Aldosterone antagonist added35
Ivabradine added01
Hydralazine added11
Isosorbide added12
Digoxin added00
ACE-I or ARB replaced with ARNI34
Key heart failure medication up titrated3358
Beta blocker up titrated1632
ACE-I up titrated47
ARB up titrated77
ARNI up titrated56
Loop diuretic up titrated10
Aldosterone antagonist up titrated38
Ivabradine up titrated00
Hydralazine up titrated02
Isosorbide up titrated01
Digoxin up titrated00
SecondaryGuideline-directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) Intensifications Per Patient

Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) intensifications per patient from the pre-clinic visit (enrollment) to 1-month (30 days) after enrollment. This was measured by medical chart reviewing of the pre-clinic visit appointment and the closest clinic appointment preceding the 30 day mark after enrollment. Key: guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT); evidence-based beta blocker (EVBB); angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I); angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB); angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI); mineralocorticoid receptor agonists (MRA); hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate (H/ISDN); Ivabradine (Iva)

Time frame:
Enrollment, 1 month (30 days) after enrollment
Reported as:
Mean · intensifications
Guideline-directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) Intensifications Per Patient
intensificationsControlIntervention
# of GDMT intensifications (initiation/dose increase EVBB, ACEI, ARB, ARNI, MRA, H/ISDN, or Iva)0.36 ± 0.610.61 ± 0.73
# of all intensifications (including GDMT plus initiation or uptitration of loop diuretic or digoxin0.38 ± 0.620.63 ± 0.73
SecondarySafety Outcomes

Unplanned hospitalizations or emergency department visits without hospitalization from the cardiology clinic visit (enrollment) to 1-month (30 days) after enrollment. Hospitalization and emergency department visits were obtained via medical chart review and were analyzed as yes/no per patient.

Time frame:
Enrollment, 1-month (30 days) after Enrollment
Reported as:
Number · participants
Safety Outcomes
participantsControlIntervention
Unplanned hospitalization at 30 days46
Emergency department visit without hospitalization at 30 days59

Adverse events

Collected over 1 month (30 days) from Enrollment. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Control1/145 (0.7%)0/145 (0%)0/145 (0%)
Intervention0/145 (0%)0/145 (0%)0/145 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Customized
Age, Customized(years)ControlInterventionTotal
Age64 (55 to 72)66 (58 to 74)65 (56.5 to 73)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Female434184
Male102104206
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Hispanic or Latino91120
Not Hispanic or Latino136134270
Unknown or Not Reported000
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American161430
White120119239
More than one race5712
Unknown or Not Reported459
Employment
Employment(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Employed454691
Retired5972131
Unemployed392362
Missing246
Insurance
Insurance(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Medicare, Tricare7173144
Medicaid232144
Private484896
None336
Income
Income(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Less than or equal to $20,000312455
$20,001--$40,000311748
$40,001--$60,000152035
$60,001--$80,000272956
Greater than $80,000324476
Missing91120
Single Relationship Status
Single Relationship Status(Participants)ControlInterventionTotal
Count of participants5956115

8 further baseline measures are reported on the registry.

08

Study locations

1 site
  • UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
    Aurora, Colorado 80209, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Allen LA, Venechuk G, McIlvennan CK, Page RL 2nd, Knoepke CE, Helmkamp LJ, Khazanie P, Peterson PN, Pierce K, Harger G, Thompson JS, Dow TJ, Richards L, Huang J, Strader JR, Trinkley KE, Kao DP, Magid DJ, Buttrick PM, Matlock DD. An Electronically Delivered Patient-Activation Tool for Intensification of Medications for Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The EPIC-HF Trial. Circulation. 2021 Feb 2;143(5):427-437. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.051863. Epub 2020 Nov 17. PubMed 33201741 ↗
  • Venechuk GE, Khazanie P, Page RL 2nd, Knoepke CE, Helmkamp LJ, Peterson PN, Pierce K, Thompson JS, Huang J, Strader JR, Dow TJ, Richards L, Trinkley KE, Kao DP, McIlvennan CK, Magid DJ, Buttrick PM, Matlock DD, Allen LA. An Electronically delivered, Patient-activation tool for Intensification of medications for Chronic Heart Failure with reduced ejection fraction: Rationale and design of the EPIC-HF trial. Am Heart J. 2020 Nov;229:144-155. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2020.08.013. Epub 2020 Aug 28. PubMed 32866454 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jan 2018 to primary completion in Nov 2020, 34 months.

Results were first posted in Sep 2021, 10 months after primary completion.

Of 219 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Patient Participation, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 34. This study's 34 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 226 studies reached it within 20 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 34.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 24, 2017
First posted
Nov 7, 2017
StartActual
Jan 11, 2018
Primary completionActual
Nov 11, 2020
CompletionActual
Apr 13, 2021
Results first posted
Sep 17, 2021
Last update
Oct 6, 2021
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 6, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03334188
Collaborators
American Heart Association
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 7, 2017
Start date
Jan 11, 2018
Primary completion
Nov 11, 2020
Completion
Apr 13, 2021
Results posted
Sep 17, 2021
Last update
Oct 6, 2021

Study contacts

Larry A Allen, MD
principal investigator · University of Colorado, Denver

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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