Hypertension remains one of the most persistent, yet preventable, drivers of cardiovascular disease in the United States. Nearly half of U.S. adults live with high blood pressure, yet only about one in four is controlled. While evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and treatment are well established, the real challenge lies in execution: applying those best practices consistently across diverse patient populations, care teams, and clinical settings.
The gap between knowing and doing is exactly what the Million Hearts® initiative aims to close. Launched as a national effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes, Million Hearts focuses on improving the prevention, detection, and control of key cardiovascular risk factors, especially hypertension. One of its most visible programs, the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge, recognizes organizations that are not only achieving strong results, but doing so consistently and at scale.
The stakes are high. Uncontrolled hypertension is a leading contributor to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and premature death, and a major source of avoidable cost in a healthcare system increasingly focused on value-based outcomes. For safety net organizations, improving blood pressure control is no longer just a clinical priority; it has become a defining measure of quality performance and population health success.
What is the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge?
The Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge is a national recognition program that honors organizations achieving sustained hypertension control rates of 80 percent or higher across their patient populations. Beyond recognition, it helps surface care models that work and can be replicated across settings.
Since its launch, nearly 200 Hypertension Control Champions across 44 states have been recognized, including academic medical centers, health systems, and community health centers. Several organizations using Azara DRVS have been named Champions and their success underscores a common theme: high performance is driven not by a single intervention, but by aligned workflows, strong patient engagement, and consistent performance measurement.
What it Takes to Achieve Sustained Control
Sustained hypertension control depends on more than clinical knowledge—it requires consistent execution supported by a strong data foundation. Many leading organizations follow the American Medical Association’s (AMA) MAP Hypertension framework. Its effectiveness depends on how reliably it is applied across every visit and care team interaction.
To drive success in these programs, tools like Azara DRVS help organizations standardize and operationalize hypertension reporting at the population level, enabling teams to monitor control rates, identify care gaps, and track performance trends over time. This shift from retrospective
reporting to continuous performance management makes it easier to apply best practices consistently and improve outcomes at scale.
Apply for the 2026 Challenge
For organizations using Azara DRVS, much of the foundation for participating in the Million Hearts Challenge is already in place. DRVS supports the capture and standardization of key measures, helping teams track performance, identify gaps, and demonstrate sustained hypertension control over time.
Strong applicants don’t just show results, they show consistency. As the April 30 deadline approaches, the opportunity is not only to gain national recognition, but to demonstrate what’s possible when evidence-based care is delivered reliably at scale.
With millions still at risk due to uncontrolled hypertension, improving blood pressure control remains one of the most impactful ways to drive better outcomes and reduce preventable harm. The Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge highlights organizations leading that work and sets a standard others can follow.
Learn more and apply: https://millionhearts.hhs.gov/partners-progress/champions/index.html
