Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) has been awarded Gold+ Status by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) for its commitment to keeping patient blood pressure readings accurate and under control, ultimately reducing the number of heart attacks and strokes each year.
CIS is one of about 300 physician practices and health systems being recognized nationally this year with the Gold+ status. This demonstrates a commitment to measurement accuracy while also reaching at least 70 percent blood pressure control within their patient population. In fact, 82 percent of CIS patients have controlled blood pressure. CIS believes this number is attributed to many areas of quality control, such as proper training of its staff on how to take blood pressure properly and accurately.
“At CIS, we ask patients to return within 30 days for a blood pressure check in the clinic if the last blood pressure was elevated or if medications were adjusted,” explained Mitzi Pellegrin, RN, process improvement analyst. “We also ask patients to record their blood pressure at home to provide us with a more accurate picture of their hypertension readings.”