GEORGIA HEART INSTITUTE EARNS TOP NATIONAL AWARD FOR HELPING PATIENTS CONTROL HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) and its Georgia Heart
Institute go the extra mile to help patients control their high blood pressure, and their efforts have been recognized with a top national award. NGHS recently earned a Gold Plus recognition from “Target: BP,” an initiative of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

The Gold Plus achievement award recognizes practices that have demonstrated evidence-
based practices for measurement and treatment to control high blood pressure in 70% or more of the affected adult patients. Earning this award requires collecting and submitting data on staff education, equipment changes and tuning, implementing evidence-based processes, adding resources and other enhancements.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart attacks,
strokes and preventable death. Nearly half of all adults in the United States, more than 120 million people, have high blood pressure, according to the AHA. Only a quarter of these people have their blood pressure under control, so diagnosing and managing this condition are critical to saving lives.

“Georgia Heart Institute is proud to celebrate this Gold Plus award from Target: BP,” said
Mudassar Ahmed, MD, chief cardiology officer of Georgia Heart Institute. “Helping our patients control their high blood pressure is one of the most important things we can do for their heart health. It is truly a team effort to adopt and apply best practices and standardize how we diagnose and manage high blood pressure across all our clinic locations.”

Target: BP is a national initiative formed by the AHA and AMA that aims to help
healthcare organizations, at no cost, improve blood pressure control rates through an evidence-based quality improvement program and recognizes organizations that are committed to improving blood pressure control.

To learn more or to schedule an appointment with Georgia Heart Institute, call 770-534-
2020 or go to georgiaheartinstitute.org.