The American Heart Association's Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs (PREVENT) equations are now integrated into Epic's electronic health record (EHR) platform, making modern cardiovascular risk assessment available in the majority of EHR systems nationwide. This integration marks a significant step forward in bringing guideline-recommended risk assessment into everyday patient care, where clinicians can engage with patients on the primary prevention of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
By embedding the PREVENT equations directly into Epic's workflow, the American Heart Association reinforces its leadership in translating cardiovascular science into practical implementation. "The promise of PREVENT lies in its ability to be implemented and acted on at scale," said Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc., American Heart Association volunteer and preventive cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago who led the development of the PREVENT equations. "Expanding access to the PREVENT equations through the Epic platform provides clinicians with access to risk estimates that can support shared decision-making with patients. This is a critical next step in informing conversations and care for personalized prevention in patients."
Developed by the American Heart Association, the PREVENT equations estimate a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Unlike previous tools, they incorporate measures of cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health and provide estimates for total cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. The equations were developed using health information from more than 6.5 million adults from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They can assess risk over both 10- and 30-year time horizons.
Recent American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines for managing high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome recommend use of the PREVENT equations for cardiovascular risk assessment and personalized treatment decisions, reflecting growing adoption across prevention efforts. Embedding the equations into Epic streamlines care delivery and provides timely decision support at the point of care. Similar EHR integrations have demonstrated potential to improve efficiency and expand access to contemporary risk assessment.
"Risk estimation is the starting point for prevention," said Khan, also Magerstadt professor of cardiovascular epidemiology and associate professor of medicine and preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "When clinicians have seamless access to accurate, up-to-date risk assessment tools, they can identify risk earlier and identify patients sooner who may benefit from lifestyle interventions, additional testing, or preventive therapies before cardiovascular disease develops."
The PREVENT equations are intended for adults aged 30-79 years without a history of cardiovascular disease and can help clinicians and patients engage in shared decision-making about approaches to reduce risk. Risk estimates serve as a guide and starting point for clinician-patient conversations regarding prevention strategies.
This integration is part of the American Heart Association's broader effort to accelerate implementation of evidence-based CKM health strategies and extend access to guideline-recommended prevention tools through health technology relationships. It also reflects the Association's role as a trusted source of cardiovascular science and a convening leader working with clinical, technology, and health system partners to ensure validated tools can be used consistently and efficiently in routine care. For more information about the PREVENT equations, visit the American Heart Association's professional education website.
