BIDMC receives American Heart Association’s Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification

Boston – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s (BIDMC) Hypertension Center at Healthcare Associates has been awarded the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification in recognition of their commitment to following proven, research-based treatment guidelines to care for people with complex or difficult-to-treat high blood pressure. There are only fourteen centers in the country with this designation and BIDMC’s Hypertension Center at Healthcare Associates is the first center in New England to receive this recognition.

Certified practices must be primarily devoted to patients with hypertension and related disorders, be recognized as referral and treatment resources for resistant and secondary hypertension and have facilities and personnel capable of assessing and evaluating complicated hypertension problems. Certified Comprehensive Hypertension Centers are recognized as leaders in providing the most up-to-date effective treatment strategies based on current evidence-based research in hypertension.

“BIDMC’s Hypertension Center at Healthcare Associates is thoroughly committed to providing our patients the highest quality hypertension care centered in current scientific research,” said Jennifer Cluett, MD, Clinical Director of the Hypertension Center. “The American Heart Association’s Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification has highlighted the accomplishments of our entire team and recognizes our commitment to continually work to improve the overall treatment and care for our patients with high blood pressure.”

The Hypertension Center underwent several reviews by the AHA’s quality improvement specialists who evaluated the practice’s policies, procedures and operations to ensure appropriate diagnosis, evaluation and treatment protocols were in place and executed for hypertension patients.

Key areas in which the Hypertension Center at Healthcare Associates demonstrated a commitment to adherence to certification required treatment standards include:

• Evaluating and treating new-onset and secondary causes of hypertension
• Personalized counseling on lifestyle changes to improve blood pressure
• Managing resistant or complicated hypertension
• Performing and interpreting 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
• Collaborating with other specialists as needed, including cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, obstetrics, and sleep medicine

Learn more about the American Heart Association accreditation and certification programs.