The Penn State Health Approach to Cardiac Rehabilitation

Penn State Health Cardiac Rehabilitation is a 36-session, medically supervised program designed to help you improve your heart health following a heart attack, heart surgery or other heart-related condition. According to the American Heart Association, cardiac rehabilitation programs reduce hospital readmission by 31% and reduce the risk of mortality by 45 to 47%.

In our cardiac rehabilitation program, our team of exercise physiologists and other experts will work with your cardiologist to develop a personalized program that improves your physical strength and overall well-being.

Conditions Cardiac Rehabilitation Helps  

Cardiac rehabilitation helps people recover from specific heart-related conditions, including:

• Angioplasty
• Cardiac stent
• Chronic stable angina
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart transplant
• Heart valve repair or replacement
• Left ventricular assist device implementation
• Open-heart surgery (coronary artery bypass graft)

What Cardiac Rehab Includes

A cardiac rehabilitation program offers three distinct phases:

•  An individual exercise program to help you gradually return to physical activity
• Lifestyle changes designed to help you embrace heart-healthy behaviors
• Education to help you manage your risk factors and prevent future heart conditions

Why Choose Penn State Health for Cardiac Rehabilitation

Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute’s Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Program is designed to help individuals start the road back to a full and satisfying life. The Cardiac Rehabilitation program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center carries certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and follows practice guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine.

At your first appointment, our team will perform a cardiac evaluation to gather information and assess your current risk factors. While program length may vary, most individual plans include three, one-hour sessions per week.

During cardiac rehabilitation, you’ll complete supervised physical activity while our staff monitors your heart rate, heart rhythm and blood pressure. You’ll also receive a home exercise program for non-rehab days to help you stay physically fit between visits.

Our team will help you learn about proper nutrition, give you ways to reduce your risk factors and offer education and support to help you lose weight, manage your medications and stress, quit smoking (if needed) and control your blood pressure and cholesterol.

After you complete cardiac rehabilitation, you can either continue your program on your own or take part in our Maintenance Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, which offers structured, ongoing classes with minimal supervision. Spouses are welcome to join in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Most insurance carriers cover the cost of Cardiac Rehabilitation. 

In-Person Cardiac Rehabilitation 

Cardiac Rehabilitation is offered in-person at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center and Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center.

Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation

People receiving cardiac rehabilitation at Hershey Medical Center may opt to participate in our Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation program. It offers a mix of in-person and virtual cardiac rehabilitation visits conducted through the Penn State Health OnDemand app. Our cardiac rehabilitation team will let you know whether Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation is right for you.

Our Convenient Locations

Penn State Health West Campus Health and Wellness Center
10 Conference Drive
Hershey, PA 17033
Phone: 717-531-1552
Phone: 877-467-7484
Fax: 717-531-0151

Penn State Health St. Joseph – Spring Ridge Cardiac Rehabilitation
2605 Keiser Blvd.
Suite 200
Wyomissing, PA 19610
610-927-3168 (choose Option 3)

The Ortenzio Heart Center at Penn State Health Holy Spirit
503 N. 21st Street
Camp Hill, PA 17011
717-972-4558