Why Tech Integration Matters in Heart Failure

A joint statement by the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN), published on January 27, 2026, emphasizes the value of integrating technology into all facets of heart failure care. The statement aims to provide clinicians with suggestions for a more team-based, forward-thinking, and actionable system of care.

Integrated health technologies (IHTs) have become extremely prominent in heart failure care of late, allowing for timely clinical intervention and facilitating care coordination between disciplines. However, widespread challenges, including suboptimal engagement from patients, digital literacy and access disparities, and poor interoperability, have stymied the uptake process. This document guides clinicians in overcoming these challenges to optimize care.1

In the first episode of a 6-part HCPLive Special Report, Adam DeVore, MD, MHS, and Laura Peters, DNP, come together to discuss the intrinsic value of including recent technological advancements in standard clinical care.

Peters notes that the idea for the joint statement emerged from parallel conversations within both professional societies, each recognizing that clinicians were seeking guidance on how to navigate this growing digital ecosystem. While many studies have evaluated individual technologies in isolation, the field lacked a comprehensive framework to help clinicians understand how these tools might function together within broader heart failure care pathways.

That gap ultimately became a central focus of the statement. Rather than evaluating one device or platform at a time, the authors sought to examine how digital tools can work collectively to support coordinated, patient-centered care. In practice, this means thinking beyond single technologies and considering how data flows between devices, clinicians, and health systems to support timely decision-making.

For patients with heart failure, time-sensitive care can be critical. Subtle physiologic changes may occur days or weeks before clinical deterioration becomes apparent. Integrated digital systems—when implemented effectively—can help clinicians identify those signals earlier and intervene sooner. The goal is not simply to collect more data, but to translate information into meaningful clinical action.

Ultimately, the discussion underscores a broader shift underway in cardiovascular care. As digital health technologies become more sophisticated and widely available, clinicians must move toward models that integrate these tools into routine workflows. The joint statement from the Heart Failure Society of America and American Heart Association represents an important step in defining how that integration can occur—and how it may help clinicians deliver faster, more responsive care for patients living with heart failure.

Our Panelists:

• Adam DeVore, MD, MHS, is an associate professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine, as well as the medical director of the Duke Heart Transplant program.
• Laura Peters, DNP, is an assistant professor of medicine in the advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant section within the division of cardiology at the University of Colorado, as well as a senior clinical instructor in the University of Colorado College of Nursing and the director of the Children’s Hospital Colorado and UCHealth Heart Transplant Transition Program.

Editors’ Note: Peters and DeVore report no relevant disclosures.

References

1. Cajita M, Peters L, Rao VN, et al. Integrated Health Technologies in heart failure: A scientific statement from the Heart Failure Society of America and the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. Journal of Cardiac Failure. Published online January 27, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.cardfail.2025.08.029

2. Heart Failure Society of America. Integrated Health Technologies in Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement from the Heart Failure Society of America and American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. January 27, 2026. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://hfsa.org/integrated-health-technologies-heart-failure-scientific-statement-heart-failure-society-america-and