The guidelines are reviewed annually by the Task Force and are official policy of the ACC and AHA. Each guideline is considered current unless and until it is up- dated, revised, or superseded by a published addendum. Related Issues For additional information pertaining to the methodology for grading evidence, assessment of benefit and harm, shared decision making between the patient and cli- nician, structure of evidence tables and summaries, standardized terminology for articulating recommen- dations, organizational involvement, peer review, and policies regarding periodic assessment and up- dating of guideline documents, we encourage read- ers to consult the ACC/AHA guideline methodology Jonathan L. Halperin, MD, FACC, FAHA Chair, ACC/AHA Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines Table 1. Applying Class of Recommendation and Level of Evidence to Clinical Strategies, Interventions, Treatments, or Diagnostic Testing in Patient Care* (Updated August 2015) Heart Failure Focused Update on Pharmacological Therapy CLINICAL STATEMENTS AND GUIDELINES Introduction The ACC, the AHA, and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) recognize that the introduction of effec- tive new therapies that potentially affect a large number of patients presents both opportunities and challenges. The introduction of an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) (valsartan/sacubitril) and a sinoatrial node modulator (ivabradine), when applied judiciously, complements established pharmacological and device- based therapies and represents a milestone in the evolu- tion of care for patients with heart failure (HF). Accord- ingly, the writing committees of the 2016 ACC/AHA/ HFSA Focused Update on New Pharmacological Therapy for Heart Failure and the 2016 ESC Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure concurrently developed recommendations for the incorporation of these therapies into clinical prac- tice. Working independently, each writing committee sur- veyed the evidence, arrived at similar conclusions, and constructed similar, but not identical, recommendations. 