October 28, 2022

To support quality care, we are providing information to providers and members to encourage discussions on health topics.  Watch for more on health care quality in our News and Updates.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, and are undiagnosed.¹ Screening for blood pressure is one of the essential components of a medical exam.  Because high blood pressure typically has no symptoms and further increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, this screening component is vital to your assessment and your patients’ health.  Both children and adults can develop high blood pressure.  The American Heart Association states, “National statistics from the 2017 hypertension guidelines estimate that 46 percent of U.S. adults—103 million people—have high blood pressure, but only about half of those have their blood pressure controlled despite improvements in diagnosing, treating and controlling hypertension.”²  The CDC found that more than 1 in 7 U.S. children ages 12-19 had high or elevated blood pressure during 2013-2016.³  Young people with risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, are more likely to carry these over into adulthood.

Why Blood Pressure Screening is Important

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) recognizes the importance of complete health assessments including blood pressure measurement.  BCBSTX collects data from our providers to measure and improve the quality of care our members receive.  Controlling High Blood Pressure (CBP)  is one aspect of care we measure in our quality programs under the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®) guidelines.  As providers, education is important to improve health literacy and healthy living.  BCBSTX strives to emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to our members.

Best Practice Summary:

1. Discuss the importance of heart health, physical activity, healthy nutrition and regular blood pressure screenings with your patients and document your findings/education.
2. Outreach to your patients who have not had their Texas Health Steps checkup  or Preventive Care exam to assist them in scheduling their appointments.
3.  Follow up with your patients to ensure medication adherence and healthy lifestyle compliance.

Resources:

Reference and review the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) Preventive Care Guidelines (PCGs), Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs), and Texas Health Steps THSteps for Medical Providers , which includes all current vaccine schedules, ImmTrac2  and other important guidance for treating your patients.

References:

¹American Heart Association, The Facts about High Blood Pressure, 2017

²American Heart Association, Hypertension Guideline Toolkit for Healthcare Providers, 2019

³Center for Disease Control and Prevention, High Blood Pressure in Kids and Teens, 2017

The above material is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician or other health care provider. Physicians and other health care providers are encouraged to use their own medical judgment based upon all available information and the condition of the patient in determining the appropriate course of treatment. The fact that a service or treatment is described in this material is not a guarantee that the service or treatment is a covered benefit and members should refer to their certificate of coverage for more details, including benefits, limitations, and exclusions. Regardless of benefits, the final decision about any service or treatment is between the member and their health care provider.

HEDIS is a registered trademark of NCQA. Use of this resource is subject to NCQA’s copyright.  The NCQA HEDIS measure specification has been adjusted pursuant to NCQA’s Rules for Allowable Adjustments of HEDIS. The adjusted measure specification may be used only for quality improvement purposes.