Health Resources for Heart Disease | Fidelis Care
Member

Login to your account, make a payment, see benefits and more.

Members

Manage Your Plan

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Members
Providers

Login to your account, download forms, view auth grids and more.

Providers

Provider Resources

About Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Providers
Shop For a Plan

See plan benefits, coverage areas, get a quote and more.

Shop for a Plan

Our Plans

Helpful Tools

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

Shop for a Plan
AAA
HomeMemberHelpful ToolsHealth ResourcesHeart Disease

Heart Disease Resources

People of all ages need to keep their heart healthy. Eating well, exercising regularly, and seeing your health care provider can help you keep your heart healthy. Work with your healthcare provider and adopt good lifestyle habits to help lower the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease describes conditions related to plaque building up in the walls of the arteries. Other conditions include arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), congenital heart failure, and heart valve problems.

What is your risk?

Heart disease can happen to anyone, including children. You can be born with it, and a family history of heart disease may increase your risk.

Most heart disease develops over time due to poor habits such as smoking or eating an unhealthy diet. Having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease. Talk with your provider about ways to prevent or manage diabetes and control other risk factors.

What is a good resting heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Remember, factors such as age, physical activity, and overall health can affect what is considered your normal resting heart rate.

Talk to your provider if you have concerns about your heart rate.

How does high blood pressure affect heart health?

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Causes for high blood pressure include:

  • Diabetes
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Smoking
  • Not getting enough regular physical activity
  • Unhealthy diets, including high amounts of sodium and alcohol

Talk to your provider about how you can lower your blood pressure to help avoid heart disease and stroke.

How can you lower your risk of heart disease?
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, poultry, and fish; avoid having too much salt or sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week
• Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar at a healthy level
• Don’t smoke or use any tobacco products
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations
Can heart disease be treated?
Yes. Talk to your provider about how to safely reduce the risk of heart disease. You can also talk about setting goals for a healthier heart. Your provider may also prescribe medication.
What are symptoms of a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Be aware of the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in the jaw, neck, arms, shoulder, or back

Call 911 if you or someone you know is having a heart attack.

What can cause Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and meet your body's needs. The following factors may increase your risk of CHF:

  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol levels
  • High blood pressure
  • Poor diet
  • Not getting enough physical activity
  • Smoking and/or using tobacco
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Stress

Talk to your provider to learn more about CHF.

What can cause heart arrhythmia?

A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Factors that may cause arrhythmia include:

  • Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high
  • Caffeine, illegal drugs, and certain medications
  • Dehydration
  • Low levels of electrolytes, such as potassium, magnesium, or calcium
  • Physical activity
  • Strong emotional stress or anxiety
  • Vomiting or coughing
  • Smoke
  • Use illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines
  • Drink alcohol more often and more than is recommended (no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women)
  • Take certain antibiotics and over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines

Talk to your provider about how to prevent arrhythmias.

Here are some resources to help you prevent or manage heart disease:

 

Managing Blood Pressure Flyer

American Heart Association

 High Blood Pressure Resources Page (CDC)

Heart Health Articles and Videos (Healthwise)

 

Get Coverage Today

Tell us more about yourself to find qualifying plans and estimate costs.
Get Started

More Heart Health News:


Reminder: New Provider Payment Method Beginning November 2024
10/21/2024 • Posted by Provider Relations

Fidelis Care would like to share important information regarding improvements to our provider payment methods. To reduce the environmental impact of our payments and to enhance the provider experience, all providers not currently enrolled with EFT, will be issued via Virtual Credit Card (VCC) beginning in November 2024.

 

The VCC program administered by Optum Financial, Inc. and ECHO Health Inc., is a widely used payment option in healthcare that we are making available to our provider network. Providers wishing to receive electronic funds transfer (EFT) rather than VCC payments may elect to do so through the instructions provided further below.

 

VCC Payments

VCC payments function just like any other credit card payment. You will follow the same process as taking a credit card payment from a patient. Here’s how it works:

 

  • You receive an Explanation of Payment (EOP) that includes a 16-digit card number.
  • You enter the card number and the full amount of the payment into your credit/debit point-of-sale terminal before the expiration date.
  • You receive funds in the same timeframe as your other credit card payments.
  • There is no need to enroll to receive VCC payments as they are processed under the merchant agreement with your banking partner.
  • Note that your merchant/banking partner charges fees for the payment transaction. These fees are in lieu of the check clearing fees you currently pay.

 

Providers not enrolled for EFT payments will start receiving payments via the VCC program in November 2024.  Payment information printed on your EOP will reflect the instructions outlined above.

 

Other Payment Options

You may opt out of the VCC program at any time by calling (800) 851-7624.  If you prefer to enroll in EFT rather than VCC, please begin by following the instructions above to opt out of the VCC program and then visit fideliscare.org to complete the EFT Enrollment Form found in the Providers Section under Electronic Transactions.

 

Providers who are receiving ERAs from Fidelis Care today, will continue to receive ERAs from ECHO with the Optum Financial Payer ID: 11315. If you have not already, please make sure that your Practice Management System is updated to accept the Optum Financial Payer ID. All generated ERAs will be accessible to download from the ECHO provider portal (www.providerpayments.com). Changes to the ERA enrollment or ERA distribution can be made by contacting the ECHO Health Enrollment team at (888) 834-3511.

 

For additional questions, or if we can be of assistance in any way, please contact your Fidelis Care Provider Engagement Account Manager. To find your designated representative, please visit Contact Your Designated Provider Relations Specialist. We value our ongoing partnership and are excited to offer this new payment option to you.