National and Regional Trends in Heart Failure Hospitalization and Mortality Rates for Medicare Beneficiaries, 1998-2008

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Abstract
Heart failure (HF) imposes one of the highest disease burdens of any medical condition in the United States, with an estimated 5.8 million patients experiencing HF in 2006.1 The risk of developing HF increases with advancing age,2 and as a result, HF ranks as the most frequent cause of hospitalization and rehospitalization among older Americans.3,4 Heart failure is also one of the most resource-intensive conditions with direct and indirect costs in the United States estimated at $39.2 billion in 2010.1