Just weeks after the American Heart Association announced its first update to national hypertension guidelines in more than a decade, the organization and the American Medical Association are honoring 310 physician practices and health systems for their work in combating high blood pressure.

The more than 300 entities are the first to be recognized under the AHA and AMA’s newly debuted Target: BP Recognition Program, according to an AHA release. The program is a national initiative that works to lower the growing burden of hypertension across the country.

More than 1,100 physicians and health systems have joined the Target: BP program since its inception, the release stated, and all share a “common goal to reduce the number of adult patients with uncontrolled blood pressure and improve health outcomes associated with heart disease.”

More than 103 million Americans suffer from hypertension, and just 46 percent have the condition controlled, according to the latest numbers.

“While high blood pressure is an easy condition to treat in that we have the tools to do so, there are many variables and barriers to success for many patients,” AMA President David O. Barbe, MD, said in the release. “The AHA and AMA developed and piloted the Target: BP program to help bring patients and healthcare providers together to successfully get blood pressure under control, and help patients keep it controlled.”

The Target: BP program aids healthcare providers by providing each participant with a dedicated website that features tips, tools and resources for helping clinicians improve national hypertension rates. Members also have access to trained support specialists in their communities who can help them identify the best Target: BP components to include in their own practices.

“We applaud the providers who are already working hard to control their patients’ blood pressure, and we will continue to urge more physician practices, health systems and patients to join this effort to prioritize blood pressure control and increase the national control of blood pressure,” Barbe said. “Together, we can save many more lives and improve health outcomes nationwide.”