Million Hearts: CDC Policy and Tools
Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
On March 31st at the America College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session, the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention released the new report, Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke:Ten-Year Update. It recommends a new framework for individuals, organizations, and agencies to collaboratively achieve national goals for preventing heart disease and stroke. The plan includes contributions from more than 100 national public health leaders and organizations.
Hypertension Data for Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a set of program statistics examining chronic conditions among beneficiaries in order to provide researchers and policymakers a better understanding of the burden of chronic conditions, including hypertension, among beneficiaries and the implications for our health care system. States can use the state and county-level prevalence data to help with targeting geographic areas with the highest need. The data can be accessed from the CMS website.
CDC Tools and Policy Resources for Public Health Practitioners, Researchers, and Decision Makers
Within the last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released many heart disease and stroke prevention policy resources and tools that public health practitioners, researchers, and decision makers may find useful in promoting heart health.
Collaborative Practice Agreements and Pharmacists’ Patient Care Services Translational Tool Guides
Released in Fall 2013, this set of translation tools informs health care providers, decision-makers, insurers, and pharmacists about the role of pharmacists in team based care. The tools include strategies and case examples of how pharmacists and other health care providers can better serve patients through collaborative practice agreements and collaborative drug therapy management.
State Law Fact Sheets
Last July, the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention released its first State Law Fact Sheet, “A Summary of State Community Health Worker Laws.” The fact sheet describes state laws that address community health worker infrastructure, professional identity, workforce development, and financing.
Two additional State Law Fact Sheets have since been released. “Select Features of State Pharmacist Collaborative Practice Laws” summarizes the extent to which states authorize collaborative pharmacist practice for drug therapy management and other patient care services. “Prescription Drug Cost-Sharing and Antihypertensive Drug Access among State Medicaid Fee for Service Plans, 2012” assesses how state Medicaid FSS plans document three types of cost-sharing practices that affect access to recommended therapeutic drug classes for blood pressure control. State Law Fact Sheets summarize the scientific evidence in support of legal interventions that promote or protect cardiovascular health and describe the extent to which states have enacted such laws. Such information can be useful to state and local public health practitioners, researchers, and decision makers.
Chronic Disease State Policy Tracking System
CDC’s Chronic Disease State Policy Tracking System is a state-based searchable database that provides policy information for preventing and controlling chronic diseases. The system was developed jointly by DHDSP and the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. Laws regulating state pharmacist collaborative drug therapy management were added to the database in February 2014. Laws regulating community health workers will be added to the database in spring 2014. A glossary, frequently asked questions, and help documentation are available on the website.
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