Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) recently earned a Gold Plus recognition from
“Target: BP,” an initiative of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Heart
Association (AHA).
The Gold Plus achievement award recognizes evidence- based practices for measurement and treatment to control high blood pressure in 70% or more of the affected adult patients. Earning this award requires collecting and submitting data on staff education, equipment changes and tuning, implementing evidence-based processes, adding resources and other enhancements.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a leading risk factor for heart attacks,
strokes and preventable death. Nearly half of all adults in the United States, more than 120
million people, have high blood pressure, according to the AHA. Only a quarter of these people
have their blood pressure under control, so diagnosing and managing this condition are critical to
saving lives.
“Georgia Heart Institute is proud to celebrate this Gold Plus award from Target: BP,” said
Mudassar Ahmed, MD, chief cardiology officer of Georgia Heart Institute. “Helping our patients
control their high blood pressure is one of the most important things we can do for their heart health. It is truly a team effort to adopt and apply best practices and standardize how we diagnose
and manage high blood pressure across all our clinic locations.”
Target: BP is a national initiative formed by the AHA and AMA that aims to help
healthcare organizations, at no cost, improve blood pressure control rates through an evidence-
based quality improvement program and recognizes organizations that are committed to
improving blood pressure control.