WVMI & Quality Insights   
Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Care with Health IT  
Learn More About the Check. Change. Control.™ Blood Pressure Program  
 
FREE images Despite how widespread hypertension is and how damaging it can be, high blood pressure is still unknown, misunderstood or ignored by many people. For that reason, a scientific study was developed to see if a multi-disciplinary, community-wide program could be effective in improving blood pressure results in its participants. The outcome of the survey reveled that this type of program could be very effect. As a result, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association developed the Check. Change. Control. Blood Pressure Program to empower people to learn about, monitor and manage their blood pressures through a combination of resources.

Local volunteer health mentors are recruited and trained to encourage people to monitor their blood pressure and stay consistent with their care plan. With blood pressure monitoring available at no cost in many pharmacies, healthcare facilities and fire stations, anyone can easily find out their blood pressure numbers.

Learn more about or find a Check. Change. Control. program in your area by contacting the American Heart Association affiliate closest to you.
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Podcasts that Pack an Educational Punch 
 
Medication Adherence Interventions
Medication adherence rates for patients enrolled in a collaborative program developed by the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Highmark, RiteAid and CE City (a technology company), was significantly improved and continued to improve over time compared to a control group, according to Dr. Janice Pringle, Director of the Program Evaluation Research Unit at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Dr. Pringle describes the intervention, which takes a patient-centered approach to pharmacy visits combined with motivational interviewing by the community pharmacists to improve adherence rates. Dr. Pringle also shares how the collaborative has evolved following its first year results, as well as her recent appointment to the CMS Innovation Advisors Program. As part of her focus on the Innovation Advisors Program, Dr. Pringle will be working with Research Triangle International to develop pay for performance models for the community pharmacist program.  Click here to hear more about their experience.

A Cup of Health with CDC: Dealing with High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (HBP) increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. Nearly 30 percent of the U.S. adult population had HBP during 2001-2004, and HBP was not controlled in approximately 70 percent of those persons. To assess the prevalence of actions to control HBP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from 20 states. The results indicated that nearly all adults with HBP were taking at least some action, but some persons can take additional actions, including dietary changes, exercise, and taking prescribed medication.
Listen to the podcast now.

A Cup of Health with CDC: Living a Less Salty Life
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. A diet high in sodium, or salt, can raise blood pressure. Dr. Darwin Labarthe discusses the importance of lowering your salt intake in order to minimize the risk of developing hypertension.
Listen to the podcast now.

A Cup of Health with CDC: Heart Health
A healthy heart is the key to a healthy life. Each year, more than 17 million people die from cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke, making it the leading cause of death worldwide. In this podcast, Judy Hannan discusses how to maintain a healthy heart. 
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Assign Your Patients with Hypertension Some Homework  

Education It may have been a long time since many of your patients with hypertension had homework to complete, but the time has come to send some reading material home with your patients. The reward for completing their reading assignment will not be an "A" on a report card, but rather a lowered blood pressure and a better understanding of the importance of blood pressure management which could ultimately save their lives! We feel that beats an "A" on the report card any day.

Below is a list of resources from the American Heart Association to share with your patients.
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REGISTER NOW
Medication Adherence: Improving Patient Outcomes Webinar 

Thursday, June 16, 2016 
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Medication non-adherence has a significant impact on healthcare costs and patient outcomes. In order to manage this complex problem, especially in the community pharmacy setting, payers, employers and healthcare providers rely on the expertise of pharmacists to improve medication adherence rates.
 
Join Quality Insights and presenter Andrea Williams, RPh, MBA, RX CONSULTANTS, LLC, for this live webinar session as we take a deeper dive into improving medication adherence rates from a pharmacist's perspective. This webinar session will address the following:
  • Barriers to successful medication adherence,
  • Patient coaching and interviewing techniques
  • Best practices
  • Notable pharmacist interventions 
  • Medication adherence assessment tools
A case study of a diabetic patient with multiple co-morbidities will be presented during the webinar.
 
Registration is required to attend this session, so please REGISTER HERE.
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Contact:
Rhonda Dodson
1.877.346.6180, Ext. 7711
  
Publication Number: PADOH-LF-060316