Dr Michael Paull Highlights the Vancouver Clinic's Progress With Hypertension Metrics

Michael Paull, MD, medical director of primary/urgent care and continuous improvement at the Vancouver Clinic (TVC) shared how TVC was able to address its lower-than-expected hypertension metrics to better align them with CMS goals.

Transcript

What steps did TVC take to address its hypertension metrics being lower than the CMS target?

The Vancouver Clinic took many steps to address our hypertension program. We implemented a hypertension registry, developed tools within the electronic medical record to help remind clinicians when they are seeing a patient whose blood pressure is not controlled, and began doing panel coordinator outreach to our patients.

How can an organizational multispecialty initiative help improve hypertension metrics for controlling blood pressure and what can other institutions take away from TVC’s experience?

I think multispecialty clinics are in an optimal position to care for patients with high blood pressure or hypertension, given the various resources that are available and specialists to consult with, should that be necessary. There are many different approaches that organizations could take, from building a hypertension program to creating different pathways for patients to receive care, along with looking at opportunities to partner with external resources for additional support.

What are TVC’s next steps to further and refine its initiative for improving hypertension metrics?

The next step for The Vancouver Clinic is we're going to be opening a hypertension clinic that's going to be led by our pharmacy department and housed in our internal medicine residency clinic. This will open an additional pathway for patients to receive care in a timely manner.