Hypertension management is one of the most frequently selected Quality Measures for MIPs. Whether you’re participating in MIPs or not, how can you go beyond the basics and leverage your EHR to recognize and help manage hypertension?
According to the most recent study by the CDC, nearly 1 in 3 Americans has high blood pressure, and another 1 in 3 have pre-hypertension. And only slightly more than half of patients have their hypertension under control. Controlling hypertension starts with recognition, especially pre-hypertension. See if your EHR has any of the following features you can use:
- Immediate alerts when a patient’s blood pressure is outside of the normal range
- The ability to easily document multiple blood pressure readings during the same encounter
- Documenting the reading along with the patient’s position and arm
- Flowsheets or other tools that chart the patient’s BP over time – and the ability to print the chart for the patient
- Proactive tools to allow you to contact and recall patients with uncontrolled hypertension
A recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended several of the steps above, as well as the use of age-based norms for alerting providers to abnormal blood pressure.