ECU Physicians receives ‘Gold Level’ recognition from the American Heart Association

ECU Physicians primary care clinics were recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) on Jan. 30 for achieving “Gold Level” status for their success in improving blood pressure control through its Target BP program.

This was the second consecutive year that ECU Physicians – the medical practice of East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine – received the recognition through the program, which is a joint initiative between the AHA and the America Medical Association to recognize clinics that “meet a high bar of excellence around hypertension control.” Clinics achieve Gold Level status when 70% of their patients who are hypertensive are at control.

Representatives from ECU Physicians received special recognition from the American Heart Association for the success their primary care clinics achieved in improving blood pressure control. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

“ECU Physicians is truly setting the bar quite high and we are bringing many of their lessons learned and best practices to our network of providers across the nation,” said Annie Thornhill, vice president of health consulting for the AHA.

The ECU Physicians clinics recognized by the AHA included Adult and Pediatric Health Care, Family Medicine, Firetower Medical Office and General Internal Medicine.

“It’s a national recognition of our shared vision to improve health outcomes for our region,” said Dr. Jason Foltz, chief medical officer of ECU Physicians. “It shows that we value creating a culture of health and wellness and that our teams are dedicated toward improving all aspects of our patients’ health.”

Dr. Paul Bolin Jr., a hypertension specialist with ECU Physicians, said it is “extremely gratifying” for the teams at ECU Physicians to have been able to make a major impact on blood pressure control in the population of patients in eastern North Carolina.

“I can’t imagine the trickle-down effect of benefits that this is going to have for future generations,” Bolin said proudly.

In order to achieve Gold Level status from the AHA, the ECU Physicians clinics emphasized:

• Regularly and accurately measuring patients’ blood pressures
• Taking appropriate actions to address high blood pressure readings
• Partnering with patients to improve adherence to treatment and lifestyle changes through collaborative communication and follow-up visits

“We have to credit our nurses for the major successes that we’ve had here in blood pressure control,” Bolin said. “They’ve really taken the lead on this – they coach each other, they coach our patients – and I think they’ve really had the major impact on what we’ve achieved.”

The recognition came less than 24 hours after the AHA unveiled its 2030 Impact Goals, which aim to increase the healthy life expectancy in the United States from 66 years old to at least 68 years old – and from 64 to at least 67 worldwide – by 2030.

This goal might not be attainable without clinics like ECU Physicians being focused on the shared goal of improving the overall health and well-being of their patients, Thornhill said.

“Heart disease and stroke are particularly issues of concern in eastern North Carolina where we have some of the highest heart disease and stroke rates in the nation. Many people call this area ‘The Buckle of The Stroke Belt,’” Thornhill added. “Working on hypertension here is about addressing heart disease and stroke in a community that suffers disproportionally from it. … If we can heal it here, we can have a huge impact on population health.

“But it’s not about getting there, it’s about getting there and staying there. And ECU Physicians is doing a great job at that.”

-by Rob Spahr, University Communications