A JOINT RESOLUTION directing the department of health and human services, division of public health, to assess chronic disease management of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.
Whereas, atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common serious heart rhythm disorder and causes 15% of all strokes in the United States; and
Whereas, AFib affects more than 2.3 million Americans and is expected to more than double to 5.6 million Americans by 2050; and
Whereas, one in four people 40 years of age or older develops AFib; and
Whereas, AFib causes the heart to beat irregularly or out of rhythm, and as a result, people with AFib are nearly five times more likely to have a stroke than a person without this condition; and
Whereas, AFib‑related strokes are approximately twice as likely to be fatal and approximately twice as likely to be severely disabling than strokes unrelated to AFib; and
Whereas, three out of four AFib‑related strokes can be prevented, but many patients are not aware of their risk and do not take action to prevent stroke; and
Whereas, the estimated direct medical cost of stroke for 2007 was $25.2 billion, including hospital outpatient or office‑based provider visits, hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, prescribed medications, and home health services; and
Whereas, appropriate stroke prevention in AFib can effectively reduce the overall financial burden of the illness within public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare; and
Whereas, reducing the risk of stroke related to AFib may maintain self‑sufficiency on the part of patients cared for within public programs; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, shall within available appropriations, assess chronic disease management of stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.  The Department may report its findings and recommendations to the 2012 Regular Session of the 2011 General Assembly upon its convening.
SECTION 2.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.