The American Heart Association and American Medical Association have recognized 1,812 healthcare organizations through their Target: BP initiative, representing 103 more organizations than in 2023 and signaling increased commitment to blood pressure control. Hypertension remains a leading preventable risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and premature death, with nearly half of U.S. adults—122.4 million people—living with high blood pressure according to the 2024 American Heart Association Statistical Update. This contributes to more than $52 billion in annual healthcare costs, making hypertension control a critical public health priority.
The Target: BP initiative, launched in 2015, addresses this health issue by leveraging American Heart Association science and the AMA MAP™ framework available at https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/ama-map-framework. The program assists healthcare organizations in improving and sustaining blood pressure control through professional education, practice tools, and resources. Organizations receive annual recognition for their commitment to improvement, adoption of evidence-based blood pressure care, and achieving control rates of 70% or greater among their patients.
This year's recognized organizations represent 47 states or U.S. territories and serve more than 34 million patients, including 9 million people with hypertension. Notably, nearly half of participating organizations are federally qualified health centers, reflecting a shared commitment to improving health equity by reaching medically underserved populations. The recognition levels achieved demonstrate the initiative's impact, with more than half of organizations achieving Gold or Gold+ award level recognition requiring blood pressure control rates of 70% or higher, while about 41% received Silver recognition.
Dr. Keith Churchwell, American Heart Association volunteer president and associate clinical professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of programs like Target: BP in addressing the 'silent killer' nature of high blood pressure. These initiatives help close gaps in hypertension control through patient awareness, education on risk factors, and improving overall well-being. Since its launch in 2017, Target: BP has seen more than 4,150 healthcare organizations join the nationwide movement to prioritize heart health, creating collective effort to improve health outcomes associated with heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
Dr. Bruce A. Scott, AMA President, stressed the imperative of providing all Americans access to quality healthcare and equipping physicians and care teams with necessary tools to help patients better control high blood pressure. He called for collective action to improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular disease burden to enhance the nation's overall health. Looking ahead, the initiative plans to introduce new award levels and criteria in 2025, including a new Silver+ award level and updated criteria for Silver+ and Gold+ awards, expected to further motivate organizations in their blood pressure control efforts.
The Target: BP initiative's success in engaging healthcare organizations across the country highlights growing recognition of hypertension as a critical public health issue. By providing resources, recognition, and framework for improvement detailed at https://targetbp.org/, the American Heart Association and American Medical Association are fostering nationwide commitment to better cardiovascular health outcomes. The program's expansion to 1,812 recognized organizations serving millions of patients demonstrates significant progress in addressing a health condition affecting nearly half the adult population and driving substantial healthcare expenditures.
