Improving Hypertension _ Diabetes Control and Prevention

download the million hearts ® action guides for clinicians

hypertension control guide The Million Hearts® Action Guide series provides clinicians, employers, and public health practitioners with evidence-based strategies for improving cardiovascular health. Each guide offers action steps and features proven tactics to help more Americans live heart-healthy, stroke-free lives.

Below is a list of the clinician action guides available for download from the Million Hearts® website:
online tool calculates a patient's ten-year risk for ascvd 

The ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus is a tool developed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for clinicians to use to estimate patient's 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk at an initial visit to establish a reference point. 

A consumer-facing risk calculatoris also available. Learn more about the calculator by watching a video from the ACC that reviews the development of this tool. Download the AHA Guidelines-on-the-Go mobile app from the American Heart Association (AHA) to access the tool. It is also available online.
free app aids clinicians in treating patients on statin therapy  
  
cell phone The ACC Statin Intolerance App guides clinicians through the process of managing and treating patients who report muscle symptoms while on statin therapy. Clinicians can use the app to:
  • Answer questions to evaluate possible intolerance to a patient's current statin prescription.
  • Follow steps to manage and treat a patient who reports muscle symptoms on a statin.
  • Compare statin characteristics and drug interactions to inform management of LDL-related risk.
This app is available for free in the iTunes and Google Play app stores. Use the links below to download the app today.
toolkit features resources to help clinicians start patient conversations about lifestyle changes that will improve lipid health 
  
The Clinician's Lifestyle Modification Toolbox (CLMT) is a project created and developed by the National Lipid Association (NLA) Nutrition Task Force in conjunction with the NLA Practice Management Council. The CLMT includes patient education material that is based on the NLA Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia-Part 2. 

The CLMT resources are designed to assist clinicians and healthcare professionals in beginning a conversation with their patients about achieving successful lifestyle changes that promote their lipid health. The NLA recommends patient referral to a registered dietitian nutritionist for personalized medical nutrition therapy to enhance and support sustained healthy lifestyle changes.
check out the CDC's online dsmes toolkit   
  
Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) provides an evidence-based foundation to empower people with diabetes to navigate self-management decisions and activities. It  is a cost-effective tool proven to help improve health behaviors and health outcomes for people with diabetes, h owever, utilization of DSMES services is suboptimal. In the United States, less than 5% of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes and 6.8% of privately insured people with diagnosed diabetes have used DSMES services. 

In an effort to increase use of DSMES services among people with diabetes and promote healthcare provider referrals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has create an online DSMES Toolkit. The toolkit provides resources and tools in one place to assist with the development, promotion, implementation, and sustainability of DSMES services.
JOIN QUALITY INSIGHTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HYPERTENSION AND DIABETES IN DELAWARE  

QI icon The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in Delaware is now at a critical level. In a concerted effort to reduce these numbers, the Division of Public Health, Delaware Department of Health & Social Services (DHSS) and Quality Insights of Delaware have initiated the third phase of the State's initiative to help people with high blood pressure (BP) and diabetes through the use of National Quality Forum (NQF) measures by their providers. These measurements are part of a nationwide effort to provide direction for improving the quality of health and health care in the United States. 
 
Please engage in our efforts by contacting Ashley Biscardi, Quality Insights Practice Transformation Specialist. Additionally, consider submitting NQF 0018 (Hypertension in Control) and NQF 0059 (HBA1 Poor Control) to all your participating quality programs. Quality Insights also asks that someone from your practice complete our Pulse of the State Survey.
ARE YOU MONITORING AND SUBMITTING YOUR PRACTICE'S NQF 0018 and NQF 0059 MEASURES?  

computer It is important that your practice monitors and submits National Quality Forum (NQF) measure 0018 (Hypertension in Control) and NQF measure 0059 (HBA1c Not in Control) to ensure that you are providing optimal care to your patients with hypertension and diabetes. Additionally, monitoring your data on a frequent basis can assist your practice in the identification of opportunities for improvement. 
 
Other reasons include:
  • External importance for public reporting and payment reform
  • Consistency with/comparable to existing national measure sets
  • Allows for consistent comparison of primary care provider organizations or within Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
  • A tool to support clinical quality improvement initiatives
  • A tool to support additional financial benefits
  • Implement processes already established and tested by others
REMEMBER: The Hypertension and Diabetes Project is about improvement, not compliance. Quality Insights is here to support your improvement efforts. 
contact information

For more details about the Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Care & Prevention project, please contact Ashley Biscardi, Sarah Toborowski, Ryan Williamson, and Danielle Nugent.
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This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number 1U58DP004799-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
Publication number: DEDPH-HD-062119