Resource Search Results

SMBP CPT Coding (2021). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) refers to blood pressure (BP) measurements obtained outside of a physician’s practice, usually at home. When combined with clinical support (e.g., one-on-one counseling, web-based or telephonic support tools, education), SMBP can enhance the quality and accessibility of care for people with high blood pressure and improve blood pressure control. SMBP can be used to assess BP control and to make a diagnosis of hypertension. SMBP allows patients to actively participate in the management of their BP and has been shown to improve adherence to antihypertensive medications. More Details...

Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Implementation Toolkit (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This toolkit is designed to help organizations implement self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) successfully into their care processes and workflows. SMBP refers to blood pressure measurements taken outside of the clinical setting, usually at home. SMBP helps with both diagnosis and management of hypertension and increases patient participation in their own care. SMBP, when combined with other clinical supports, improves hypertension control. More Details...

Culturally Competent Care: Learning Collaborative (2020). Resource Type: Other. Description: This is a learning collaborative series of 4 sessions where Health Center staff learned about standards for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) to their patients. Slides and recordings for all sessions are available here as well as resources to facilitate the implementation of CLAS in health center settings. More Details...

Accelerating Use of Self‑measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Through Clinical‑Community Care Models (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The project aimed to increase the use of Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) through the coordinated action of health department leaders, community organizations and clinical providers. More Details...

Flu LEAD (Linkages to End Access Disparities) Initiative 2020 Information: A Pilot Project to Increase Influenza Vaccination Coverage among HUD-Assisted Residents (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This NCHPH informational page provides an overview, and resources about the Flu LEAD pilot project directed by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase influenza vaccination coverage among residents of Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). More Details...

SMBP Joint Policy Statement 2020 (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured BP monitoring, the measurement of BP by an individual outside of the office at home, is a validated approach for out-of-office BP measurement. Several national and international hypertension guidelines endorse self-measured BP monitoring. Indications include the diagnosis of white-coat hypertension and masked hypertension and the identification of white-coat effect and masked uncontrolled hypertension. Other indications include confirming the diagnosis of resistant hypertension and detecting morning hypertension. More Details...

Accelerating Use of SMBP through Clinical-Community Care Models (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP), the regular measurement of blood pressure by a patient outside the clinical setting, plus additional support, is a proven, cost-effective but underutilized strategy to improve hypertension outcomes. To accelerate SMBP use, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the National Association of Community Health Centers, the YMCA of the USA, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials to develop cross-sector care models to offer SMBP to patients with hypertension. More Details...

The Role of CHWs in Addressing Hypertension (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers (CHWs) are uniquely qualified to support individuals with hypertension. CHW interventions are known to improve health outcomes among individuals diagnosed with hypertension and support at-risk individuals to prevent the development of the condition. The purpose of this guide is to assist health centers and partners in identifying the roles of CHWs in addressing hypertension. More Details...

Social Determinants of Health for Public Housing Residents: Access to Healthy Food (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Using data and maps created by National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) and other national data sources, this publication is one in a series that identifies the prevalence of social factors and population health indicators that affect public housing residents. It is intended for non-clinical health center staff, decision makers, and public housing stakeholders. More Details...

Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes: My Health Is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well With Diabetes (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Migrant Clinicians Network’s groundbreaking new Spanish-language comic book, “Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes,” or “My Health Is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well With Diabetes,” tells the relatable story of Goyo, an agricultural worker with a new diabetes diagnosis. Illustrated by artist and frequent MCN collaborator Salvador Saenz, the colorful, low-literacy comic book allows clinicians to share how to live with diabetes, with content tailored specifically for agricultural workers. More Details...

Developing Cross-Sector Partnerships (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This guide provides health center staff with tools and strategies to initiate, develop, and sustain community partnerships to better serve older adult residents of public housing. Content of this publication was developed through a 4-session learning collaborative launched by the SDOH academy with a small cohort of HRSA-funded health centers, HCCNs, and PCAs. More Details...

7-Step SMBP Quick Guide: Helping patients achieve and maintain blood pressure goals (2020). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid increase in the use of telemedicine by many health care organizations, physicians and care teams. Using telemedicine modalities with self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) can help patients with hypertension achieve and maintain blood pressure goals. More Details...

Nurse Closer Process: Using Nonclinician Staff to Make Patient Visits More Efficient (2019). Resource Type: Other. Description: The Nurse Closer process was designed and implemented to use non clinician staff to make patient visits more efficient. The model drives quality by combining team-based care with technology and allows all team members to work at the maximum capacity of their license. The goal of the process is to achieve higher value care with out increasing clinical expenses or provider burn out. More Details...

Understanding and Addressing Hypertension and Heart Health in Your Community: A Quick Guide For Community Health Workers (2018). Resource Type: Toolkit. Description: Understanding and Addressing Hypertension and Heart Health in Your Community: A Quick Guide For Community Health Workers provides information surrounding hypertension and heart health. Inside you will find tools for Community Health Workers to use to guide patients with hypertension towards a healthier future. The guide also comes with a blood pressure tracker, which can be shared with patients as they track their progress towards their blood pressure goals. More Details...

Community Health Workers & Hypertension and Heart Health Interventions (2018). Resource Type: Publication. Description: Community Health Workers & Hypertension and Heart Health Interventions: A Resource for Program Managers and Administrators is a resource for Community Health Worker program managers and administrators. It explains how Community Health Worker-led intervention programs can positively impact patients who have hypertension. About 75 million American adults (1 in every 3) have high blood pressure. Although high blood pressure can be easily detected and can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication, almost a third of individuals with hypertension don’t know they have it, and only about half have it under control. Due to their close understanding of and trust from the communities they serve, CHWs can be particularly strong champions for patients with hypertension and/or at risk of heart disease. More Details...

Health Center Investments in Enabling Services Associated with Better Outcomes (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This factsheet provides analysis of the health center data from the 2015 Uniform Data System (UDS). The data highlights that enabling services staffing and costs are associated with better national quality measures, including higher rate of HbA1c < 8%, higher rate of controlled hypertension, higher cervical cancer screening, and higher child immunization rate. More Details...

Prioritization Matrix: A framework for selecting QI activities or project (2017). Resource Type: Publication. Description: It is sometimes difficult to know what target metric to focus on when beginning a quality improvement project. A prioritization matrix is a management tool that uses a simple framework to compare multiple options side-by-side using standard criteria.&nbsp;This version includes four criteria and can be adapted for your purposes. What is it and how can it help me? It is sometimes difficult to know where to start when approaching several opportunities to improve care process that emerge from a quality improvement project. A prioritization matrix is a management tool that uses a simple framework to compare multiple options side-by-side using standard criteria. &nbsp; Download one of the prioritization matrix tools below. One is for selecting a target for a QI Project (e.g., hypertension control, colorectal cancer screening, immunizations, etc.) The other is for selecting among potential improvements identified. These are word documents that you can further edit for your own purposes. &nbsp; Prioritization Matrix for Selecting Target for QI Project Using the Guide to Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in Health Centers or beginning another QI project, a number of potential targets will be identified (e.g., hypertension control, diabetes control, colorectal cancer screening, no show rate, etc.) List those potential enhancements in the Opportunities to improve target performance column in this matrix. Rate each possible target according to the scale provided. You can also leave a column blank if you don&rsquo;t find it relevant, just be sure to leave it blank for all options. When rating External requirement consider whether this target metric is related to required reporting, such as UDS, or even more that one reporting requirement? If yes, rate it a 3, otherwise, rate as a 2 for something that is desired or is tangentially related, or a 1 if it is not required for external reporting. When rating Cost consider how substantial the financial investment would be for addressing the target being considered? If the financial investment is relatively low, then rate it a 3. Rate a 2 if a moderate financial investment would be required, and rate a 1 if the activity would require a substantial financial investment, (i.e., the cost is high). When rating Difficulty, you may consider whether you currently have the staff, referral relationships, or other key components that are critical to addressing that target. For example, if you do not have an OB/GYN or someone appropriate to conduct pap tests on staff, and you don&rsquo;t have an existing referral relationship with a provider who completes pap tests in your community, then targeting cervical cancer screening for improvement would be difficult. When rating Impact, consider how large of an impact addressing the target could have. For example, are there a large number of patients with the condition or in need of the screening? Is current performance particularly low such that a change could result in significant improvement? Once all potential enhancements are listed and ratings are in each column, add all columns together to identify the items that are likely to have the biggest greatest impact with the most efficiency. Those potential enhancements that have the highest score (=external requirement + cost + difficulty + impact) may be the best enhancements to try first. &nbsp; Prioritization Matrix for Selecting Improvement to Test Using the Guide to Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in Health Centers or beginning another QI project, a number of potential targets will be identified (e.g., hypertension control, diabetes control, colorectal cancer screening, no show rate, etc.) List those potential enhancements in the Opportunities to improve target performance column in this matrix. Rate each possible target according to the scale provided. You can also leave a column blank if you don&rsquo;t find it relevant, just be sure to leave it blank for all options. When rating External requirement consider whether this target metric is related to required reporting, such as UDS, or even more that one reporting requirement? If yes, rate it a 3, otherwise, rate as a 2 for something that is desired or is tangentially related, or a 1 if it is not required for external reporting. When rating Cost consider how substantial the financial investment would be for addressing the target being considered? If the financial investment is relatively low, then rate it a 3. Rate a 2 if a moderate financial investment would be required, and rate a 1 if the activity would require a substantial financial investment, (i.e., the cost is high). When rating Difficulty, you may consider whether you currently have the staff, referral relationships, or other key components that are critical to addressing that target. For example, if you do not have an OB/GYN or someone appropriate to conduct pap tests on staff, and you don&rsquo;t have an existing referral relationship with a provider who completes pap tests in your community, then targeting cervical cancer screening for improvement would be difficult. When rating Impact, consider how large of an impact addressing the target could have. For example, are there a large number of patients with the condition or in need of the screening? Is current performance particularly low such that a change could result in significant improvement? Once all potential enhancements are listed and ratings are in each column, add all columns together to identify the items that are likely to have the biggest greatest impact with the most efficiency. Those potential enhancements that have the highest score (=external requirement + cost + difficulty + impact) may be the best enhancements to try first. More Details...

The Health of AA&NHPIs Served at Health Centers: UDS 2014 (2016). Resource Type: Publication. Description: This factsheet examines patient demographics and utilization of health services at health centers serving Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA&NHPIs) at health centers from the 2014 UDS dataset. It highlights the differences between these health centers and the national average of all health centers in the United States. Despite the high disease burden of its patient population, AA&NHPI-serving health centers have statistically significant better screening rates and health outcomes for hepatitis B, pap smears, hypertension and diabetes. More Details...

Health IT-Enabled Quality Improvement: A Guide to Improvement: 10/4 HITEQ Highlights Webinar Transcription (2016). Resource Type: Publication. Description: A transcription of the October 4th HITEQ Highlights webinar. A transcription of the October 4th HITEQ Highlights webinar.  Improving care delivery is a business and mission imperative for health centers, and the HITEQ Center offers a growing collection of tools and services to support this journey. The foundation for these particular offerings is the "Guide for Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in FQHCs."  This web-based resource provides step-by-step guidance on understanding and improving workflows and information flows that drive performance on key targets such as hypertension control and colorectal cancer screening. Guide centerpieces include worksheets for documenting, analyzing, sharing and improving care processes for such targets. Strategies and tools in the Guide have been used successfully in various quality improvement (QI) initiatives, and a HITEQ Center focus is spreading this value more quickly and widely among health centers. This introductory training session introduces health centers and their partners to the Guide's proven approaches, worksheets and other health IT-enabled QI tool More Details...

Guide to Improving Care Processes and Outcomes in Health Centers: An approach to quality improvement (2016). Resource Type: Publication. Description: The quality improvement QI approach outlined in this Guide can be used to augment current QI approaches used in your health center, or can serve as a placeholder QI methodology when there isn’t already a robust QI process in place. It provides a framework and tools for documenting, analyzing, sharing and improving key workflows and information flows that drive performance on high-stakes care performance measures, and related improvement imperatives. This webpage provides strategies and tools that health centers and their partners can use to enhance care processes and outcomes targeted for improvement, such as hypertension and diabetes control, preventive care, and many others. More Details...