New Study Links HFSA OMT-HF Education to Changes in Heart Failure Prescribing

New research builds on earlier findings showing HFSA's OMT-HF program improves clinician confidence in delivering guideline directed medical therapy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- New research published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure provides additional evidence that targeted clinician education may help address persistent gaps in the implementation of guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure.

The new study, conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, found that completion of the Heart Failure Society of America's (HFSA) Optimal Medical Therapy in Heart Failure Certificate (OMT-HF) was associated with an increase in new prescriptions of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) among non-cardiologist clinicians caring for patients with heart failure. 

The findings build on a 2025 study that demonstrated OMT-HF significantly improved clinicians' comfort and confidence with the initiation and optimization of GDMT. Together, the studies provide a growing body of evidence suggesting that scalable clinician education can help bridge the gap between heart failure guidelines and clinical practice.

"Advances in heart failure treatment improve outcomes only when patients receive recommended therapies," said Dr. Ken Margulies, HFSA President. "These findings show that focused education, such as the OMT-HF Certificate Program, can translate knowledge into meaningful changes in clinical practice, which leads to better care for heart failure patients and better performance at heart failure clinics."

From Clinician Confidence to Prescribing Behavior 

The new study, The Association of Heart Failure Society of America Optimal Medical Therapy Certification Completion With Sodium Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Prescribing, evaluated whether completion of OMT-HF by non-cardiologist clinicians was associated with changes in SGLT2 inhibitor prescribing. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective pre-post quality-improvement analysis of eligible adult patient encounters within a large integrated health system spanning Ohio and Florida. OMT-HF education was distributed to primary care physicians, advanced practice providers, and clinical pharmacists practicing in primary care, general ambulatory, and post-discharge settings outside dedicated heart failure clinics. 

Completion of OMT-HF was associated with a modest increase in new SGLT2 inhibitor initiation, with the strongest signal observed in exploratory analyses of encounters involving patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of 40% or less. 

"Improving implementation of guideline-directed therapy requires reaching the clinicians who care for patients with heart failure across many different settings," said Trejeeve Martyn, MD, MSc, Director of Heart Failure Population Health at Cleveland Clinic and corresponding author of the study. "Our earlier work showed that OMT-HF could improve clinicians' comfort with GDMT. This study allowed us to take the next step and examine prescribing behavior. The findings support continued study of structured education as one component of a broader strategy to help clinicians put evidence-based heart failure therapies into practice." 

The researchers note that SGLT2 inhibitor prescribing was the study's prespecified outcome and that other GDMT medication classes were not evaluated. The findings demonstrate an association and support further controlled evaluation of structured education as part of broader efforts to improve GDMT implementation. 

Building the Evidence for Scalable Heart Failure Education 

The findings build on 2025 research showing that OMT-HF improved clinicians' comfort and confidence with prescribing, titrating, and monitoring guideline-directed medical therapy. Together, the studies suggest that structured education may help translate greater clinician confidence into changes in heart failure prescribing practice. 

Healthcare professionals can learn more about OMT-HF and enroll in the program online. Group and bulk purchase options are also available for organizations seeking to provide OMT-HF education to their teams or clinician networks.

About OMT-HF

HFSA's Optimal Medical Therapy in Heart Failure Certificate Program is a self-paced, online educational program designed to help healthcare professionals strengthen their knowledge and application of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure.

The program includes three educational modules focused on practical implementation of optimal medical therapy and is designed for healthcare professionals with prescribing privileges as well as those who routinely manage heart failure medications.

Individual enrollment is $175, and 3.0 continuing education credits are available upon completion of the program. Group and bulk purchasing options are also available for healthcare teams, academic institutions, health systems, and other organizations.

Learn more about OMT-HF

Read the new study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure

Read the 2025 study

About the Heart Failure Society of America

The Heart Failure Society of America, Inc. (HFSA) represents the first organized effort by heart failure experts from the Americas to provide a forum for all those interested in heart function, heart failure, and congestive heart failure (CHF) research and patient care. The mission of HFSA is to provide a platform to improve and expand heart failure care through collaboration, education, innovation, research, and advocacy. HFSA members include physicians, scientists, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, trainees, other healthcare workers and patients. For more information, visit hfsa.org.

Media Contact: Laura Poko, 301-798-4493, ext. 226, [email protected]

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SOURCE Heart Failure Society of America