Coronary disease & ACSCohort study
Cardiac Rehabilitation Utilization Among Veterans
- retrospective cohort study
- national electronic health record database
Authors' conclusion
CR participation among U.S. Veterans remains low, far below that of the Medicare population (10.4% vs 28%), with no significant differences in initiation by sex. However, low socioeconomic status is associated with decreased uptake. Further research is needed to explore innovative, Veteran-specific CR delivery models.
Study context
- Population
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR)-eligible Veterans within 1 year of myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass surgery, January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023CR-eligible Veterans (3.6% women)
- Participants
- 82,496 veterans
- Exposure
- CR participation by sex and socioeconomic status
- Outcome
- participation in at least 1 CR session
- Follow-up
- Within 1 year of myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass surgery
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)P value
Women Veterans vs men Veteransadjusted for patient-level and community-level characteristics
0.90(0.79–1.03)
P = 0.121most deprived ADI quartile vs least deprived quartile
0.82(0.75–0.89)
P < 0.001- Overall CR participation
- 10.4%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Cardiac Rehabilitation Utilization Among Veterans. JACC Adv. Published 18 February 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102615
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it