by Matt Batcheldor
The Vanderbilt Comprehensive Hypertension Center has been awarded renewal of the American Heart Association’s Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification, to recognize the center’s commitment to following proven, research-based treatment guidelines to care for people with complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension, or high blood pressure.
The center was initially certified by the AHA in 2019 and was previously certified by the American Society for Hypertension.
“We are honored to again be recognized as one of the American Heart Association’s Comprehensive Hypertension Centers,” said David Harrison, MD, Betty and Jack Bailey Professor of Cardiology, director of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and director of the Vanderbilt Vascular Biology Center at VUMC.
“This ongoing recognition reflects the dedication and excellence of our Hypertension team and is the result of its hard work. Matthew Luther, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, in particular, should be congratulated for this outstanding effort. This recognition reflects a longstanding tradition of Vanderbilt being a leader in the field of hypertension care and research.”
Certified practices 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.
The Vanderbilt Comprehensive Hypertension Center underwent a thorough review 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.
For more information on the American Heart Association accreditation and certification programs, visit www.heart.org/-certification.
