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Strategies for Success: Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions
Jessica Barnett1,2, Adam S Vaughan2, Judith Hannan2
1ASRT Inc., Smyrna, GA, USA.
Insights
Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions achieved high blood pressure control rates using evidence-based strategies. Key methods included electronic medical records, patient support, and team-based care, demonstrating achievable hypertension control.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Health Systems Management
Background:
- Hypertension affects over 119 million U.S. adults, with a significant portion having uncontrolled blood pressure.
- The Million Hearts® initiative, co-led by the CDC and CMS, aims to improve hypertension control nationwide.
- Hypertension Control Champions are recognized for achieving validated control rates of 80% or higher.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the characteristics of Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions.
- To quantify the evidence-based strategies employed by these champions.
- To identify successful approaches for achieving high hypertension control rates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of application data from recognized Hypertension Control Champions across multiple five-year cycles (2012-2024).
- Summary statistics were calculated for champion characteristics and reported strategy usage.
- Data from 199 champions across 44 states were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Champions reported a mean blood pressure control rate of 82% (systolic < 140 mm Hg, diastolic < 90 mm Hg).
- The most frequently utilized evidence-based strategies included electronic medical record (EMR) systems, patient support (e.g., self-measured blood pressure monitoring), and team-based care.
- Recognized champions demonstrated consistent high performance over multiple operational cycles.
Conclusions:
- The Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Champions highlight the feasibility of achieving high hypertension control rates.
- Implementation of evidence-based strategies is crucial for success across diverse clinical settings.
- These findings provide a model for improving population-level hypertension management.
Background:
Among the 119.9 million US adults with hypertension, an estimated 92.9 million have systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 80 mm Hg. Million Hearts is an initiative co-led since 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The program drives improvement in hypertension control by celebrating high-achieving clinicians, practices, and health systems each year as Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions. Champions have validated control rates of 80% or higher.
Methods:
Using data from each Champion, we summarized their key characteristics and quantified their use of various evidence-based strategies. We calculated summary statistics for application data provided by Champions based on the initiative's 5-year cycles of operation (2012-2015; 2017-2020; and 2022-2024).
Results:
From 2012 to 2024, a total of 199 Hypertension Control Champions from 44 states were recognized; the mean prevalence of systolic blood pressure < 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg was 82%. Overall, Champions reported using multiple evidence-based strategies to help their patients achieve hypertension control. The top 3 strategies were use of electronic medical record IT tools, patient support including self-measured blood pressure monitoring and team-based care.
Conclusions:
The Million Hearts Hypertension Control Champions demonstrate that hypertension control may be achievable among patients across diverse settings through the implementation of evidence-based approaches.
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