Recognize, Monitor, Treat: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Resistant Hypertension Care.

backgroundResistant hypertension places individuals at significantly increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines highlight the importance of appropriate screening for secondary causes of hypertension and multimodal approaches to care. RATIONALE: Our findings show that only one-fourth of patients with systolic blood pressure (BP) above 160 mm Hg received any prior workup for secondary causes, displaying a major gap in care. SUMMARY: A population health-based registry was used to identify patients with uncontrolled resistant hypertension via electronic medical records, and a referral pathway with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association-recommended evaluation was created for a multispecialty clinic. All identified patients were offered screening for secondary hypertension; 68% of whom were found with secondary causes. Mean systolic BP lowered below 140 mm Hg in 70% of patients, with over 30% reporting a drop of 20 mm Hg or more. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Multidisciplinary programs lead to early diagnosis, BP control, and overall improved quality of hypertension care.