"Hope for Heart Failure" - Wes Hall, MS, PA-C

Heart failure can be difficult and intimidating to help manage. This talk helps ease fears with a straightforward approach into optimizing quality of life for heart failure patients. Includes an interactive demonstration and case studies. 

Speaker bio: Wes Hall is a certified PA practicing in the field of Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology, which also includes the deployment of mechanical circulatory support devices such as LVADs, Impellas and ECMO. 

Wes's first 30 career years were spent in business, mostly in the investment banking field of Mortgage Finance. While leading Univest Financial Group, he expanded the product offerings to include the first internet- based commercial real estate mortgage servicing software platform. Afterward, Wes felt an irresistible pull to go into medicine despite having no medical experience or formal science training. Starting at 52 years old, he completed an undergraduate degree in Biology at UALR and then studied medicine at the Harding University PA Program, graduating in 2014. 

He has since served as a practicing PA at the Baptist Heart Failure and Transplant Institute in Little Rock and is active in both the clinic and inpatient setting. In addition to his duties as a provider, Wes coordinates Baptist Health's clinical relationships with cardiology practices and hospitals throughout the state. He is also co-leading the Arkansas Cardiogenic Shock Network, which is a protocol- driven patient registry collaboration among 8 hospitals that have agreed to work together with a shared goal of lowering mortality in cardiogenic shock across the state. 

At the end of the presentation, attendees should be able to:

1. List 4 things HF patients can do for optimal quality of life.
2. List 4 things you should be willing to do to help these patients.
3. Describe the most definitive a) physical exam skill, and b) diagnostic test in managing advanced HF
4. Know when to refer a HF patient for Advanced Therapy consideration.

This activity has been reviewed by the AAPA Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 19 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Approval is valid from 3/8/2024 to 3/8/2025. AAPA reference number: CME-2010808.

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