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Kelsey Research Foundation Improves Hypertension Diagnosis and Management
Ambulatory blood pressure monitors help physicians diagnose and manage hypertension
Houston (December 3, 2012) – According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately one in three U.S. adults have high blood pressure, increasing their risk for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death. A new health promotion program offered by the Kelsey Research Foundation aims to curb the effects of hypertension. Kelsey-Seybold physicians can now order a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring test to evaluate patients with suspected "white coat" hypertension, to assess the control of hypertension in patients with known hypertension, and to manage patients in whom the diagnosis of hypertension is not clear.
"It is estimated that more than 60 million Americans have high blood pressure, which can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke," said Victor Simms, M.D., Internal Medicine, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. "By implementing this service as an add-on to our standard of care, we hope to help those patients who might slip through the cracks. Patients with "white coat" hypertension, uncontrolled hypertension, and patients in whom the diagnosis of hypertension is not clear will benefit from this additional monitoring."
The small, blood pressure monitor is worn on a belt along with a blood pressure cuff on the arm. The monitor records the patient's' blood pressure every hour for 24 hours, even while the patient is sleeping. After 24 hours, patients return to meet with their physician and receive the results.
In a recent clinical study, the Kelsey Research Foundation evaluated ambulatory blood pressure monitors in assessing control of hypertension in patients with known hypertension as well as patients with suspected "white coat" hypertension.
"We found that physicians welcomed the idea of having an additional tool to more accurately assess a patient's blood pressure issue when initial test results provided an ambiguous result. This new service will help clarify situations where the results are not so clear," added Anthony Greisinger, Ph.D., Executive Director, Kelsey Research Foundation.
"Patients can live for many years without knowing that they have hypertension because this chronic condition often has no symptoms – and if left untreated can cause life-altering illnesses. That's why it is so important to ensure that patients whose blood pressure results do not provide a conclusive answer; are then assessed with the ambulatory blood pressure monitor," concluded Dr. Simms.
The Foundation offers ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at three Kelsey-Seybold Clinic locations including Main Campus, West Clinic and Fort Bend Medical & Diagnostic Center.
For more information about this new diagnostic test and to see if you meet the criteria, patients are encouraged to make an appointment with their primary care physician at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic by calling 713-442-0427 to schedule an exam. More information can be found at www.kelsey-seybold.com
About the Kelsey Research Foundation
The Kelsey Research Foundation's mission to improve the quality of patient care and health outcomes through research and education began more than a half-century ago. Today, the Kelsey Research Foundation is focused on health services and outcomes research, partnering with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and the local research community to improve quality of care.
About Kelsey-Seybold
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston's premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center. More than 850 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 40 locations in the Greater Houston area. Kelsey-Seybold offers quality medical care in 65+ medical specialties. The organization operates the largest freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center in the state of Texas and offers state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam and Varian Edge radiation therapy technology at a nationally accredited Cancer Center. An accredited Sleep Center, comprehensive laboratory services, advanced imaging and diagnostics, 24 onsite Kelsey pharmacies and one specialty pharmacy, and MyKelseyOnline, a secure web portal, are part of its comprehensive offerings. Kelsey-Seybold partners with major insurers to offer value-based commercial health plans. KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan offered to Houston-area beneficiaries and affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has achieved the coveted 5-out-of-5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for eight consecutive years.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center and Endoscopy Center.
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91. NPS is the global standard for measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction. An NPS score of 70 or higher is considered by industry experts to be "world class" and an indicator of overwhelming customer loyalty.