The Utah Department of Health has recognized U of U Health's community clinics for their efforts to treat & care for patients with high blood pressure.
"About a quarter of the adult Utah population has hypertension," said Julie Day, MD, medical director of Redwood Health Center. "Accurately measuring and partnering with patients to control their blood pressure is a cornerstone in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and death."
The awards are part of the Utah Million Hearts Coalition, a local effort of the national Million Hearts initiative, which is made up of public and private health care organizations dedicated to preventing heart attacks and strokes.
"This award recognizes the hard work and dedication of our clinics to continuously monitor performance and place best practices to meet the highest standards in hypertension control," said Chanda Sundara, a quality improvement specialist who manages the initiative at U of U Health. "Working in collaboration, providers, nurses, clinical pharmacy and care mangers identify risk factors, educate patients, prescribe and modify medications and maintain ongoing dialog with patients about their care in order to tackle the disease."
The following clinics were recognized:
- Centerville Health Center
- Farmington Health Center
- Greenwood Health Center
- Madsen Family Medicine
- Parkway Health Center
- Redstone Health Center
- Redwood Health Center
- South Jordan Health Center
- South Ogden Health Center
- Stansbury Health Center
- Sugar House Family Medicine
- Westridge Health Center
The recognized clinics shared verifiable high blood pressure control data with the Utah Million Hearts Coalition. They also highlighted successful strategies or best practices they adopted, such as the use of health information technology or team-based care, including:
- Making blood pressure measurement accuracy a priority
- Using evidence-based guidelines and protocols for high blood pressure diagnosis
- Continually training staff on correct measurement protocols
- Using team-based care models to improve patient engagement
- Implementing consistent, strategic use of electronic health records that include patient reminders and visit summaries
- Staying engaged with patients by offering support and education tools
More information about the Utah Million Hearts Coalition is available here.