Cardiac Rehabilitation in the Region of Veneto

In Italy there has been a progressive shifting of the legislative and fiscal activity from a national level to a regional one. In the Venetian district a series of documents, also concerning the cardiac rehabilitation, has been produced. A document elaborated in 1999 contains a detailed account of eligibility criteria for cardiac rehabilitation as well as of structural and organizational requirements. Other documents contain the updated price lists for admission episode (DRG 462) or days of stay in hospital and diurnal hospital activity, according to the type of structure which supplies the service. For outpatients, cardiac rehabilitation is identified by the code 93.36 and the ticket fare is 19,50€. In the enclosure no.6 of the Sanitary Regional Plan, still under definitive approval, it is stated that for each Intensive Therapy there will be a functional connector with a cardiac rehabilitation service which, except for few Centers, will carry on its activity with outpatients. At present the regional Cardiac Rehabilitation includes 3 complex units (for in- and outpatients) and 13 simple units (for outpatients only), with a total of 3031 patients rehabilitated in 2004.