Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs reduce mortality and improve quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, CR programs are vastly underused, with less than a third of eligible patients participating in the United States. The largest barrier to patient participation is the requirement that CR must be provided in a physician’s office or hospital setting to qualify for reimbursement. Many patients do not have the time, transportation, social support, and/or financial resources to attend these programs.
