Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Undiagnosed Hypertension Project

In January 2011, utilizing the hospital’s system-wide electronic medical records, a family medicine physician studied data for the health system’s patients between the ages of 18 and 79 to identify those who may be at risk for hypertension.

Five algorithms were used to simultaneously query data from the EMR to identify adult patients with multiple elevated blood pressures who had never been diagnosed. If a patient was identified as being a candidate for hypertension, their individual physicians were notified and patients were contacted to schedule an office visit.

Nearly 1,600 patients were identified as potentially having this condition without being diagnosed by their primary care physician. To date, more than 1,000 individuals have come in for testing. Approximately 40 percent of these patients have been identified as meeting the criteria for hypertension and are now receiving some form of treatment.

This case study is part of the Illinois Hospital Association's annual quality awards. Each year, IHA recognizes and celebrates the achievements of Illinois hospitals in continually improving and transforming health care in the state. These hospitals are improving health by striving to achieve the Triple Aim--improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction); improving the health of populations; and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

Award recipients achieve measurable and meaningful progress in providing care that is:

• Safe
• Timely
• Effective
• Efficient
• Equitable
• Patient-centered

(The Institute of Medicine's six aims for improvement.)