Improving Hypertension _ Diabetes Control and Prevention

Teach Your Patients How to Get the Most Out of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

Home blood pressure monitoring at home is an important part of managing high blood pressure (hypertension). The American Heart Association (AHA) and other organizations recommend that anyone with high blood pressure monitor his or her blood pressure at home. Home monitoring can help people keep tabs on their blood pressure in a familiar setting, make certain their medication is working, and alert them and their doctor to potential health complications.
 
Blood pressure monitors are available widely and without a prescription, so home monitoring is an easy step toward improving hypertension. However, it is important to know the right technique and to find a good home blood pressure monitor.
 
Download the Blood Pressure Measurement Instructions handout from the AHA and share it with your patients with hypertension. It provides helpful steps to follow to ensure an accurate blood pressure reading at home. The flyer is also available in Spanish.
Patient Tips for Talking to Healthcare Providers about Cardiovascular Disease

patient with doc Broaching the topic of cardiovascular disease with a healthcare professional can sometimes be a challenge for patients. Being diagnosed with hypertension or high cholesterol, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke, can be overwhelming. Most times people with these types of chronic conditions are required to go on medication and make lifestyle changes that are not always easy to do. However, it is crucial for people to understand that the consequences of a delayed conversation with their physician can be very detrimental to their health. It is important to ask questions and be informed.
 
The Million Hearts® initiative created a handout, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: How to Talk to Your Healthcare Professional, that can help patients initiate a conversation about cardiovascular disease. It offers a list of important questions to ask regarding high blood pressure, cholesterol and medication management.
New Study Shows that High blood pressure carries a price tag of $131 billion a year

High blood pressure is one of the nation's biggest health problems. According to a recent AHA article, a new study quantifies just how big: the overall cost of high blood pressure has risen to about $131 billion a year - or nearly $2,000 in higher health care expenses for each patient.
 
That makes high blood pressure, or hypertension, costlier than other forms of heart disease, based on statistics from the AHA.

The study, which was done by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, published on May 23, 2018 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

"More people are being diagnosed with hypertension despite better access to health care and medical advancements," said Dr. Elizabeth Kirkland, the study's lead author and assistant professor of internal medicine at MUSC in Charleston. "There's a tremendous need to be aware of this problem and the risks - costs, health outcomes, other diseases."

It's one of few studies to solely examine hypertension costs trends over time. Moreover, the study likely underestimated the costs because it used an older definition of hypertension. Read more.
It's time to get "healthy for good"

healthy food Healthy For Good ™ is a revolutionary movement spearheaded by the AHA to inspire people to create lasting change in their life and health, one small step at a time. 

The approach is simple: Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well.

Quality Insights encourages you, your staff, and all your patients to join the Healthy For Good™ movement. The program is geared to help people stay on a healthy path by sharing helpful tips, videos and hacks. Click here to join the movement.
CMS PUBLICIZES COSTLIEST INCREASES FOR MEDICARE, MEDICAID DRUGS

increase Medicare and Medicaid have faced persistent double-digit increases in the prices for blockbuster insulin products, as well as notable jumps in the cost of other well-established medicines, including biotech drugs approved in the late 1990s, according to a federal database.
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday posted data for drug spending in Medicare Part B and Part D programs and Medicaid, offering researchers and the public an easy way to study the costs of specific medicines. The new information posted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dates to 2016, when Medicare spent $174 billion, or 23 percent of the program's budget, on prescription drugs. That is a large increase from 2012, when Medicare spent $109 billion, or 17 percent of its total budget, on these medicines, CMS said.
Register Now to Attend the Second Annual Healthcare Leadership Summit

event Thursday, June 14, 2018
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Virden Retreat Center, 1155 College Drive, Lewes, DE
 
Delaware Health Information Network (DHIN) will anchor in Lewes next month for its second Healthcare Leadership Summit. Industry leaders from across the region and country will join special guests Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long and DHSS Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker for discussions pertaining to Delaware's healthcare landscape, including consumerism, cybersecurity and patient-centered care. Register here.
contact information

For more details about the Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Care & Prevention project, please contact Ashley Biscardi, Sarah ToborowskiRyan Williamson, or Danielle Nugent.
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Funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the State Public Health Actions to Prevent and Control 
Diabetes,  Heart Disease, Obesity and Associated Risk Factors and Promote School Health federal grant from the Centers for 
Disease Control  and Prevention. Publication number: DEDPH-HD-053118