AHA Certified Hypertension Centers

The mission of the American Heart Association (AHA) Hypertension Certification program is to improve the outcomes of patients with complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension while partnering with medical practices, incorporating best practices, and implementing evidence-based treatment guidelines. All practitioners in each center have also been trained to recognize secondary causes of hypertension, including hyperaldosteronism. The overarching goals of the certified Hypertension Center encompasses the patient, provider, research and training opportunities, and engagement with insurers and payors. The Certification is focused on enhancing hypertension patient care and is designed to evaluate each medical practice against a professional set of criteria based on demonstrated adherence to key standards and a rigorous review process.

The directors at each center must be a certified hypertension specialist, and the majority of the practice at each center must be devoted to patients with hypertension. The program is limited to centers in the United States.

There are two types of centers:

• Comprehensive Hypertension Centers. These centers are in either academic medical centers or in large multi-specialty clinics. The centers may exist independently or as part of larger divisions or departments. They have the facilities to do diagnostic imaging, adrenal vein sampling, and laparoscopic adrenalectomies, if needed. 
• Hypertension Practice Centers. These centers are either private or group medical practices. Although they might not host the facilities themselves, they must be able to provide patient access to facilities that perform diagnostic imaging, adrenal vein sampling, and laparoscopic adrenalectomies.

While these are all high-quality facilities, the number of annual AVS procedures varies widely between centers. The centers with the most experience consistently offer the best outcomes. As always, you should do your own due diligence if you require an AVS or adrenalectomy.