ALERT, which sought to assess undertreatment and health equity in aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral regurgitation (MR) using an integrated EHR platform, evaluated the use of electronic clinician notifications (ECNs). It found that ECNs significantly improved timely evaluation and treatment for AS and MR. That includes through the use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
The study utilized Tempus Next, an AI-enabled care pathway platform. It automatically identifies significant AS or MR patients who may meet guideline-indicated therapy criteria but don’t have a treatment plan in place. ALERT evaluated the impact of EHR notifications generated by Tempus Next.
Investigators presented findings from the study at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions (ACC 2026) in New Orleans. They simultaneously published outcomes in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
“As clinicians, our priority is to ensure that patients with significant heart valve disease receive timely treatment. Untreated symptomatic severe aortic stenosis carries a high risk of mortality within two years, yet we continue to see significant undertreatment particularly among patients from racial and ethnic minority groups and those with certain hemodynamic profiles. This compromises our ability to scale life-saving valve interventions across health systems,” said Dr. Wayne Batchelor, president of the Medicine Service Line at the Inova Health System and steering committee chair of the ALERT study. “These findings highlight the value of real-time clinical alerts to accelerate diagnosis and specialist referral, helping ensure that more patients—regardless of race, ethnicity, geography, hemodynamics, or other factors—have access to guideline-directed, life-saving care.”
Medtronic also shared findings for its renal denervation technology at ACC. Read about that here.
A look at the findings shared by Medtronic
ALERT utilized 765 clinicians ordering 2,016 echocardiograms across five U.S. health systems encompassing 35 hospitals. The study met its primary endpoint, defined as time to surgical or transcatheter valve intervention followed by time to multidisciplinary heart team (MHT) clinic visit within 90 days after the index echocardiogram.
Medtronic said that findings deemed ECNs 27% more effective at notifying clinicians about patient cardiovascular status than usual care.
Key findings at 90 days included a 40% relative increase in valve intervention and 27% increase in MHT evaluations. Data suggested that white patients represent the majority (90%) of all TAVR procedures. Patients who are Black, Hispanic, Asian or part of other racial groups are not being treated with TAVR at the same rates, the company said.
Additionally, women with aortic stenosis continue to experience meaningful disparities in care, Medtronic said. They proved less likely to receive a referral for timely evaluation and valve intervention compared to men. This makes improved access to minimally invasive options like TAVR critical, according to the company.
Medtronic says evidence shows that options like TAVR — including its own Evolut platform — could deliver less time in the hospital and quicker recovery compared to open heart surgery.
“The ALERT trial reflects how we are building the future of structural heart care — one that is more connected, data‑driven, and focused on reaching patients earlier in their disease journey,” said Jorie Soskin, VP of the Structural Heart business at Medtronic. “By helping clinicians identify patients sooner and connect them to care, technologies like AI‑enabled alerts have the potential to ensure more people can benefit from lifesaving therapies like TAVR, regardless of race, geography, or background. This work underscores our commitment to advancing structural heart care and the future of TAVR.”
