UCI Medical Center earns Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification from the American Heart Association

July 14, 2021

UCI Medical Centerhas been awarded the American Heart Association's Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification for its commitment to following proven, research-based treatment guidelines to care for people with complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. UCI Medical Center is one out of only three healthcare facilities in California to earn this designation.

Certified healthcare centers must be primarily devoted to patients with hypertension and related disorders; be recognized as referral and treatment resources for resistant and secondary hypertension; and have facilities and personnel capable of assessing and evaluating complicated hypertension problems. Certified Comprehensive Hypertension Centers are recognized as leaders in providing the most up-to-date effective treatment strategies based on current evidence-based research in hypertension.

'UCI Medical Center is thoroughly committed to providing our patients the highest quality hypertension care centered in current scientific research,' said Dr. Ekamol Tantisattamo, UCI Health nephrologist. 'The American Heart Association's Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification has highlighted our accomplishments and is recognition of our commitment to continually work to improve the overall treatment and care for our patients with hypertension.'

UCI Medical Center underwent several reviews by American Heart Association quality improvement specialists who evaluated the practice's policies, procedures and operations to ensure appropriate diagnosis, evaluation and treatment protocols were in place and executed for hypertension patients.

Key areas in which UCI Medical Center demonstrated its commitment to adherence to certification required treatment standards include:

• Standardized blood pressure measurement performed by medical and nursing staff
• Comprehensive work-up and management in collaboration with specialties across the medical center for resistant and refractory hypertension
• Enhancing medical care and knowledge related to hypertension from research and quality improvement projects to improve blood pressure control and minimize the number of hypertensive patients
• Extending medical knowledge and standard training related to hypertension to medical trainees and visiting scholars

The overall goals for the certified Comprehensive Hypertension Center encompass patients, providers and research and training opportunities through an evaluation of the practice against a professional set of criteria based on demonstrated adherence to key standards and rigorous review process.

UCI Health is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its main campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. The 418-bed acute care hospital, listed among America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for the 20th consecutive year, provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, and behavioral health and rehabilitation services. UCI Medical Center is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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