PharmaSmart teams up with hypertension campaign

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A company that makes health kiosks has joined a campaign to promote blood pressure management among patients with hypertension.

PharmaSmart announced Thursday that it joined the "Team Up. Pressure Down." program, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services' Million Hearts initiative, also lead by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The program offers such resources as video vignettes and conversation starters designed to encourage and support pharmacists in providing counseling services to patients with high blood pressure. The campaign's stated goal is to prevent 1 million heart attacks by 2017.

"Together with Team Up. Pressure Down., we offer pharmacies an accredited suite of education and support materials, along with validated clinical tools to aid in hypertension screening, intervention and therapeutic monitoring," PharmaSmart president and CEO Fred Sarkis said. "It's a very strong partnership for us."

PharmaSmart COO Ashton Maaraba will lead the partnership. The company said it had an existing campaign nationwide to promote validated, pharmacy-based hypertension management as a key element of emerging team care models, and that its representatives were working with healthcare providers and pharmacy retail chains to advance Team Up. Pressure Down.'s message.

"This initiative is an overarching point of differentiation for us," Maaraba said. "It is a clear proof point that PharmaSmart offers a combination of innovative clinical services, biometric screening and health information technology that places the pharmacy — 'the most profitable center in a retail store' — in a modern-day power position."

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