Time to Talk CARDIO

Time to Talk CARDIO (Creating A Real Dialogue In the Office) is a program dedicated to advancing cardiovascular health by helping to enhance the dialogue between patients and health care providers. Time to Talk CARDIO was developed in partnership with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation, Canyon Ranch Institute and RIASWorks.

Why is effective communication so important? It has been estimated that a primary care physician will conduct between 120,000 and 160,000 patient visits over a 40-year professional career. While the specifics of care vary widely, the one common activity to all visits is communication.

Health care providers and patients may be able to build and maintain stronger and more trusting therapeutic relationships by addressing education and adherence challenges through communication skill building.

The Time to Talk CARDIO communication skill-building tool was modeled after an evidence-based communication framework. LEAPS, an acronym developed to assist health care providers and patients, addresses five key areas: Listen, Educate, Assess, Partner and Support

Studies find that patient recall of instructions, satisfaction with care, adherence to medical recommendations and appointment-keeping are consistently related to communication skills.

Effective communication is good for health care providers, too. Research shows that skilled communication may help physicians have greater professional satisfaction.

Why focus on cardiovascular disease? Every year cardiovascular disease causes more than 870,000 deaths in the United States. While great progress has been made in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, many patients fail to derive full benefit from their treatment plans. Fortunately, the strategic use of targeted communication approaches that foster an effective working partnership with patients may help make a difference in the successful management and control of cardiovascular disease. Time to talk CARDIO is a program designed to help patients and providers make the most of their conversations and was designed specifically to address key issues related to cardiovascular disease management.

Time to Talk CARDIO  -- Time to Talk Cardio is a program to help patients and health care professionals make the most of their conversations by building communication skills to help better manage heart health.

Hora de Hablar Cardio -- Hora de Hablar CARDIO es un programa que ayuda a los pacientes y al personal de salud a aprovechar al máximo sus conversaciones. Esto se logra al ampliar las formas de comunicarse y así ayudar a manejar mejor salud del corazón.

Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) catalyzes the possibility of optimal health for all people by translating the best practices of Canyon Ranch and its partners to help educate, inspire and empower every person to prevent disease and embrace a life of wellness. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, CRI collaborates with partners to improve health literacy, prevent disease and eliminate health disparities. CRI President Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17^th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), is chair of the Time to Talk CARDIO Advisory Board, and CRI Executive Director Jennifer Cabe, M.A., serves on the Time to Talk CARDIO Advisory Board.

RIASWorks was established in 2008 to contribute to the science of interpersonal communication in order to enhance health care quality, wellbeing and health. The company supports research and professional education, quality assurance and excellence in clinical practice through the provision of coding services and training in the use of the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) and the development and dissemination of evidence-based medical communication tools.

Time to Talk CARDIO is underwritten by Merck.