The HEARTS Costing Tool estimates the annual cost of implementing the HEARTS Technical Package (HEARTS) for strengthening cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in primary care. The HEARTS Costing Tool helps users assess the resources and costs required to:

1. Train health providers to assess CVD risk and/or to provide lifestyle advice for CVD risk reduction
2. Screen, diagnose, and treat individuals with risk factors for CVD
3. Develop monitoring systems for patient management

It also estimates the cost-savings that may result from shifting tasks traditionally performed by doctors to other health providers (known as task-sharing).

How Does It Work?

The HEARTS Costing Tool is designed to estimate annual program costs and can be used to inform budget needs for CVD service delivery. To obtain cost estimates at the local level, users enter information from their local area. For example, users define the local catchment population and can enter additional information on the local health workforce; the purchasing prices of medications, diagnostics, and supplies; wages of health and non-health personnel; treatment protocols for individuals with hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia; and the structure and cost of training courses for health personnel. Where local information on these inputs is not available, the Tool contains default data suggestions to support user entry.

It is organized by HEARTS package elements, allowing users to view the cost of implementing individual components of HEARTS, or to view the total cost of the HEARTS program.

Components of the Tool

See the "Files" section of this page to download each of the following components:

• Training Videos:
  • Introduction to the HEARTS Costing Tool
  • Using the HEARTS Costing Tool: How to Input Information 
  • Interpreting Results: Outputs of the HEARTS Costing Tool
• User Guide
• HEARTS Costing Tool 

For assistance using or adapting the tool, please contact GlobalNCDs@cdc.gov.