Description of the Mississippi hypertension specialist initiative

Background: Mississippi adults have high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-associated morbidity and mortality. Strategies that address leading CVD risk factors, such as hypertension, can greatly reduce the burden of CVD. Therefore, the Mississippi State Department of Health developed the Mississippi Hypertension Specialist Initiative (MHSI), a unique, population- and evidence-based quality improvement project to enhance hypertension detection, prevention, and treatment. The goals of the MHSI are to: 1) increase physicians' knowledge and skills in managing complex, treatment resistant forms of hypertension, 2) increase the number of certified Hypertension Specialists in Mississippi, and 3) increase the utilization of a nationally recognized hypertension registry in Mississippi. We describe the overall purpose, development and implementation of the MHSI. Methods: The initiative will be comprised of five major components: 1) development of the project framework and selection of partners; 2) meetings with leaders of the healthcare provider community; 3) statewide recruitment of physicians and certification test preparation; 4) test administration and certification of results; and 5) pre- and post-test medical records review from patients of participating physicians. Results: To date, the MHSI framework has been developed. Leadership buy-in has been obtained from various state-wide healthcare provider associations. A contractual arrangement has been made with the American Society of Hypertension to handle application submissions and conduct test preparation services. Conclusion: The MHSI will increase the number of certified Hypertension Specialists in the state. Participating physicians will receive specialized training in the best practices and quality of care monitoring for hypertension management. Ultimately, this will help to reduce CVD morbidities in Mississippi.