American Heart Association Launches Digital Health Certification for Cardiac Care Professionals

The American Heart Association has launched a new professional certification program focused on digital health in cardiac care, addressing the growing challenge healthcare providers face in safely and effectively using remote telehealth technologies for patients with chronic heart conditions. This certification represents the fourth offering in the Certified Professional by the American Heart Association science-based portfolio, joining existing certifications in telehealth, telehealth stroke, and tobacco treatment.

The Digital Health in Cardiac Care certification aims to bridge the gap between traditional medical practice and remote patient monitoring by standardizing training and validating healthcare providers' expertise in technology-enabled clinical settings. This initiative comes as remote telehealth cardiac healthcare becomes increasingly available, creating a need for standardized approaches to ensure quality care delivery through digital channels.

According to Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, a volunteer member of the American Heart Association Center for Telehealth Expert Panel, "The American Heart Association is committed to ensuring that quality standards for digital health technology are clear, trusted and embraced by healthcare providers. This certification keeps individuals at the heart of care helping to boost patient engagement while empowering providers and wellness professionals to manage chronic conditions more effectively through digital tools."

The certification program covers digital health literacy to enhance professional understanding of various terms and technology, high-quality evidence-based online digital health education combining research and hands-on experiences, and assessment delivery via live remote-proctoring through American Heart Association platforms. Certified professionals receive credentials valid for three years and opportunities for professional promotion through display of personalized certificates.

Digital health in cardiac care specifically refers to the use of technology tools such as wearable devices, smartphone apps, telehealth platforms and remote monitoring systems to help people manage and prevent heart conditions outside traditional clinical settings. This approach enables care delivery at home, work, or in community settings, providing continuous data and insights to both patients and their care teams.

Enrollment is available to healthcare professionals with clinical or administrative backgrounds, including those licensed or pursuing licensure, as well as health and wellness specialists who use digital health tools to monitor, track and engage with patients. The certification process is designed to equip providers with skills to implement best practices in digital health, helping them engage patients more effectively and build patient confidence in managing chronic conditions.

The certification program brings the same gold standard used by the Association for hospital certifications to individual healthcare professionals. A stroke coordinator certification is planned to launch later this year, expanding the organization's portfolio of professional certifications. The program is offered through the American Heart Association Center for Telehealth, which specializes in standardizing telehealth education and practice.

This certification addresses a critical need in healthcare as digital health technology becomes increasingly integrated into cardiac care. According to program developers, digital health technology paves the way for better self-management, earlier detection of issues and improved treatment outcomes by delivering continuous data to people living with chronic conditions and their care teams. The timing of this certification launch coincides with rapid expansion in remote monitoring technologies and increased patient demand for telehealth services following pandemic-era shifts in healthcare delivery.