Last week, NYC Health + Hospitals announced that its health systems have been recognized by both the federal government and the American Heart Association for excellence in hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes control. This recognition highlights the high-quality care delivered across care at NYC Health + Hospitals.
“Our clinical teams work hard every day to support our patients with hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Assistant Vice President of Chronic Disease and Prevention Karyn Singer, MD, MPH. “Over the past few years, the number of tools at our disposal has expanded, including clinical pharmacists, dedicated nursing programs, and adding home blood pressure measurement to our Electronic Health Record. We have also worked hard to decrease barriers for patients, such as providing free blood pressure monitors for patients who can’t afford them and incorporating telehealth into chronic disease management.”
Million Hearts
Four NYC Health + Hospitals sites were recognized by Million Hearts, a national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as the 2024 Hypertension Control Champions. To be recognized as a champion, healthcare systems and organizations must produce a hypertension control rate of at least 80% among their patients 18–85 years old with hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a primary contributor to heart disease and stroke, which impacts millions of adults across the country.
“We’re honored to be recognized as a 2024 Hypertension Control Champion,” said Svetlana Lipyanskaya, Chief Executive Office of NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our team in providing comprehensive, patient-centered care to manage hypertension and other chronic conditions. We’re committed to improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in South Brooklyn by ensuring all our patients have access to the resources, support, and care they need to achieve better health and well-being.”
The four sites recognized include NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst; NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health; NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Belvis; and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Cumberland. Only six sites in the entire state received this award in 2024, and a total of 25 in the state have ever achieved the recognition.
Awards From The American Heart Association
In addition to recognition from Million Hearts, the American Heart Association also recognized several sites across NYC Health + Hospitals with awards. These awards were for diabetes, cholesterol, and hypertension control.
Twenty-two of the health system’s primary care sites, all 11 hospitals, and 11 primary care sites received the 2024 Target: BP Gold + award, the highest level award, for achieving blood pressure control for at least 70% of their patients.
Twenty-three of the health system’s primary care sites also received the 2024 Type 2: Diabetes Gold award, the highest possible award, for meeting high standards for diabetes control and cardiovascular disease risk factors, hypertension, and cholesterol management. These primary care sites also received the 2024 ‘Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol Gold’ award, the highest possible award, for having at least 70% of their adult patient population at risk of cardiovascular disease on statin therapy.
“One of my goals when I came to NYC Health + Hospitals was to focus more on primary care,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Preventing, treating, and controlling chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes is the cornerstone of primary care. I am incredibly proud of all of our sites for what they have accomplished in their quality of care for these conditions in recent years.”
Programs that demonstrated high-quality care and met standards across primary care at NYC Health + Hospitals include clinical pharmacists in primary care, chronic disease outreach, Target to Treat (a nurse-led hypertension and diabetes management primary care program for patients who are above their target), in-person educational support in primary care, and more.
