millionhearts.hhs.gov/Docs/HTN_Change_Package.pdf

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking actionon partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the major source of artificially produced trans fat in processed foods, confirming that PHOs are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in human food. The FDA has granted companies 3 years to either reformulate their products or petition the FDA to permit certain specific uses of PHOs. Companies have already made strides toward reducing or eliminating PHOs, and the FDA expects manufacturers to be in compliance ahead of schedule. Removing PHOs from processed foods could prevent as many as 20,000 additional heart attacks and up to 7,000 cardiac deaths each year. Good-bye, PHOs. Hello, Heart Health.

—Janet Wright, MD, FACC
Executive Director, Million Hearts^®

Tools You Can Use

• Explore and use the new Million Hearts^® Hypertension Control: Change Package for Clinicians—This quality improvement tool was created for health care professionals to improve patients’ hypertension control by focusing on three main areas: key foundations, population health management, and individual patient supports. The guide provides health care practices with an evidence-based listing of process improvements to more efficiently and effectively care for patients with hypertension.
• Browse the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) easy-to-read fact sheets on environmental hazards—EPA offers a variety of free resources that provide information older Americans and their caregivers can use to reduce exposure to a range of environmental hazards, including fact sheets on staying safe during a heat wave and determining the air quality where you live. The fact sheets have been translated into several languages and are available in formats for people with limited sight or reading ability.
• Use these innovations and tools from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to improve cardiovascular health—Primary care settings provide an important opportunity to deliver preventive services and care management for at-risk patients. Clinical practices are finding innovative ways to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve patient outcomes.
• Download a free Statin Intolerance App—Clinicians can answer questions, follow patient management steps, and compare statin characteristics and drug interactions with this free app from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) that is available on iTunes and Google Play app stores. With information and recommendations derived from the 2013 ACC/American Heart Association Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults, this app can help guide clinicians through the process of managing and treating patients who report muscle symptoms while on statin therapy.