Jen Brull, M.D., a Family Medicine physician in Plainville, Kan., was the only solo practitioner named a Hypertension Control Challenge Champion by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Million Hearts initiative.

The other eight Champions were all larger practices and health systems with the resources and breadth to engage in what is typically thought of as population health.  But Dr. Brull proves that while size may help, small practices and independent physicians can also engage in population health initiatives to improve outcomes. Her practice achieved a blood pressure control rate of more than 85 percent earning her a spot among the likes of Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division and ThedaCare in Appleton, Wis.

“One of the things we do is make sure that they are getting in at regular intervals to have their blood pressure checked, and that they are getting labs completed. And also that they know they are part of the team that is controlling their blood pressure," Dr. Brull told AAFP News.

According to the CDC, it developed the Hypertension Control Challenge to identify prevention strategies that help detect high blood pressure, connect patients to care, and achieve control as measured by either the National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed 0018 (controlling blood pressure) measure or a similar measure.

Best practices employed by this year’s winners and winners from past years include:

• Making high blood pressure control a priority at every visit;
• Using evidence-based guidelines;
• Working as a team—physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, care coordinators, and patients—to achieve blood pressure control;
• Using health information technology to track blood pressure readings over time, cue team members to talk about blood pressure with patients, and adjust medications in a timely way to safely achieve control;  
• Staying engaged with patients by offering free blood pressure checks, in-home nurse visits, and medication checks by pharmacists; and
• Publicly recognizing or using financial incentives to reward high-performing clinicians or teams.

HHS launched Million Hearts in 2011 as a national, public-private initiative that with the goal to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.