Improving Hypertension _ Diabetes Control and Prevention

quality insights releases new blood pressure management learning module

SMBP module Quality Insights is pleased to announce the release of a new module emphasizing the importance Blood Pressure Screening, Measurement and Self-Management . Designed to promote and supplement your current quality improvement efforts, a few highlighted features include:
  • Overview of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Adults with High Blood Pressure
  • Care Team support tools for ensuring accurate blood pressure measurements
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved Lifestyle Change Programs and tips for streamlining your referral process
  • Workflow Modification flyer providing a variety of options to consider for blood pressure improvement in your practice setting
We encourage you to download a free copy of the module today and listen to the high level overview recording on the Quality Insights website . Contact your Practice Transformation Specialist to request print copies to share with your practitioners and staff.
join us: take advantage of the quality Insights Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Program

home bp monitor Have you considered starting a Self-Management of Blood Pressure (SMBP) program in your practice but are concerned about the amount of time and resources it might require? If so, we'd like to invite you to participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Home Blood Pressure Monitoring program. 

In partnership with the PA Department of Health, Quality Insights is able to loan practices home blood pressure monitoring units and patient learning materials to assist you in providing this service to your patient population. 

If you are interested in participating in this free program, please contact your local Quality Insights Practice Transformation Specialist today for further information.
time to raise awareness: november is American Diabetes Month

Each November, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) sponsors American Diabetes Month to teach people how to help prevent type 2 diabetes. 

Healthy People 2020 has many related objectives in the Diabetes topic area, and you can raise awareness about diabetes by using the promotional toolkits from healthfinder and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Finally, check out healthfinder's diabetes content to find easy-to-understand resources to share with patients.
what to do with the numbers: Sharing Data to Engage Providers

clinician icon Making significant improvements in care delivery and quality can be challenging without the engagement of the entire care team. This is especially true of providers - they need to be on board. Why? The reality is that physicians play a large role in the complex mechanisms of healthcare delivery. From providing frontline care to filling leadership positions, physicians drive 75 to 85 percent of all quality and cost decisions.
 
If your practice has experienced challenges with provider buy-in around blood pressure improvement strategies, consider sharing your National Quality Forum (NQF) 0018 data along with a primary blood pressure quality improvement goal with them on a regular basis. Making this data accessible can help highlight the importance of implementing change as well as facilitate discussion about improvement opportunities.
 
Find more ideas on ways you can increase provider engagement on the HealthCatalyst website .
online learning: take advantage of free education

doc at computer Webinar: Health in Rural America: Innovative Solutions to Address Disparities
Wednesday, November 13, 2019: 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Join the National Institute of Healthcare Management (NICHM) Foundation for an important conversation around America's complex rural health crisis. Increasing urbanization leaves behind an older, sicker, and poorer population in rural America that may struggle with social determinants of health like access to medical care and healthy meals. These challenges contribute to rural-urban health inequities in rates of chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. Despite the odds, leaders are leveraging the unique strengths of rural communities to develop and implement promising solutions.
 


This one-hour activity trains physicians, their care teams and other participants registered for the AMA/AHA joint initiative Target: BP on the appropriate use of Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) in clinical practice. The American Heart Association designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.  
patient resource: Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program 

healthy food heart Nutrition insecurity is a significant national health concern, especially among low-income populations that disproportionately experience poor health. Often associated with food insecurity, nutrition insecurity is characterized by poor nutrition, limited physical activity, and unsafe food practices.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and delivers research-based education in the home, the classroom and in communities to help Pennsylvanians make better nutrition and health decisions.

Nutrition Education Programs are offered at various locations and dates state-wide. To find out if an upcoming program is available near you, visit the Pennsylvania State Extension website or view the Live Event Listing below.
mark your calendar: upcoming hypertension and diabetes events across pennsylvania

calendar Do you know about a local diabetes prevention or hypertension event taking place near you? E-mail details to Amy Porter if you'd like to have it featured in our upcoming newsletters.
contact information

For more details about the Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Care & Prevention project, please contact 
Quality Insights logo
Funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the Improving the Health of Americans Through Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Heart Disease and Stroke federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Publication number PADOH-HD- 110819