RPM Hypertension Quick Guide

RPM Hypertension is a program that makes it easy to measure your blood pressure at home and share your readings with your doctor.

For questions about your equipment, call the Current Health support team at 844-611-2232

For general questions about the program, call 929-440-0316

RPM Hypertension is a better way to manage blood pressure.

Controlling high blood pressure also known as hypertension is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health.

Studies have shown that blood pressure readings taken at home are more accurate than in the office. For some patients, their blood pressure is higher when they are at their doctor’s office. Checking your blood pressure at home on a daily basis will help you and your doctor better manage your hypertension. That’s where RPM-Hypertension comes in.

RPM-Hypertension is a program that makes it easy to track your blood pressure at home and share your readings with your doctor.

The results: better blood pressure control, better health!

Why RPM Hypertension

How Does RPM Hypertension Work?

  • Your doctor orders the program for you.

  • A patient navigator will call you to let you know what to expect and answer any questions you might have before you begin.

  • We are partnering with a company called Current Health to deliver a blood pressure device and tablet to your home.

  • Once the device is delivered, Current Health will call you to help you set up and use the equipment.

  • The device sends weekly summaries of your blood pressure readings to your doctor’s team. Your doctor will review your blood pressure readings with you at your next visit, or sooner, if needed. A team of nurses will also monitor your blood pressure readings from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

  • The only thing you have to do is take your blood pressure daily.

RPM Navigators

The navigators are part of your doctor’s team. They help you set up and stay on track with home blood pressure monitoring. They are not medical staff.

You should call your doctor if you have questions about your blood pressure treatment plan.

To get help with your devices, call Current Health at 844-611-2232

For general questions about the program, call 929-440-0316

  • Help you get your RPM-Hypertension devices delivered and set up.

  • Call you after devices are delivered to show you how to use them correctly.

  • You can contact them to answer any questions about your home. blood pressure devices.

  • They are not medical staff and are not trained to answer medical questions.

  • They will call you if you are not meeting the program’s goals for checking your blood pressure at home.

RPM Nurses

Your home blood pressure readings will also be sent to a team of nurses. These nurses will monitor your readings from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm. A nurse will call you if they see that you have an unusually high or low blood pressure reading.

If you are concerned that your blood pressure readings are unusually high or low or if you feel unwell, do not wait for the nurse to call, please call your doctor. If you think it is an emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room.

There may be a small monthly co-pay for having your doctor track your home blood pressure while you are in the RPM Hypertension program. The exact cost will depend on your health insurance coverage.

Cost

Before you start:

  1. Keep your blood pressure device and tablet in an easy-to-remember location.

  2. Wait at least half an hour since drinking a coffee

  3. Empty your bladder before you sit down

  4. If you can, wear short sleeves for the measurement

  5. Choose a chair with a comfortable back rest. The chair should be near a table that has a place to rest your arm

  6. Tap “New Reading” on your tablet. This tells your blood pressure device to send the reading to your doctor.

How to Take Your Blood Pressure at Home

Now you are ready, but before you press the button to start a blood pressure reading:

  1. Sit in your chair with both feet on the ground and your arm resting on a table

  2. Place the blood pressure cuff around your bare arm above the crease of your elbow; the cuff should feel snug, but not too tight. The arrow on the blood pressure cuff should be pointing away from your body.

  3. Sit quietly for about 3-5 minutes. Some like to find relaxing music to listen to or use the time to take some deep breaths.

  4. Now you can press the Start button on your BP device. This will tell the blood pressure device to take a reading. You will feel the blood pressure cuff inflating. Pressing the start button from the tablet ensures that the blood pressure device will send your blood pressure reading to your doctor’s team. If you do not press this button on the tablet first, then the measurement will not get sent to your doctor.

    You can remove the blood pressure cuff after the cuff deflates. You can see your blood pressure reading on the blood pressure device.

Watch here to see an example of a good blood pressure measurement. ↓

7 tips to make sure your blood pressure is measured accurately

What happens if you don’t follow these tips?

  1. Cuff over clothing adds 10-40 mm Hg

  2. Unsupported arm adds 10 mm Hg’

  3. Crossed legs adds 2-8 mm Hg

  4. Feet not on the ground adds 5-10 mm Hg

  5. Talking adds 10-15 mm Hg

  6. Unsupported back adds 5-10 mm Hg

  7. Full bladder adds 10-15 mm Hg

How often should I check my blood pressure?

  • Try to check your blood pressure at least once per day.

  • Try to make it part of your usual routine. If you miss a day, it’s ok!

  • Many patients like to check their blood pressure in the morning after they’ve emptied their bladder, but before they’ve had their coffee or breakfast.

  • Other patients like to check their blood pressure before bed.

  • If we notice that you are not taking your blood pressure for more than one week, our navigators will call you to find out if you are having any problems.

What Do Your Blood Pressure Numbers Mean?

1 - The Blood pressure device shows three numbers.

  • Systolic blood pressure (the higher number) is the pressure your blood is pushing against the walls of your artery when your heart beats.

  • Diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) is the pressure your blood is pushing against the walls of your artery between beats. The third number on your machine is your pulse

  • Pulse is the number of heart beats per minute. This means how fast your heart is beating.

2 - Why do my numbers change each time I measure my blood pressure?

It is normal for blood pressure to go up and down depending on a lot of factors ranging from how stressed you feel, the time of day, or when you last took your blood pressure medication. This is why doctors care most about your average blood pressure more than any single blood pressure reading.

3. What should my goal blood pressure be?

Doctors usually recommend that your average systolic blood pressure should be lower than 140 and if possible below 130. This could mean that your blood pressure is 110 one day and 140 the next day, such that your average blood pressure is 125.

Doctors usually recommend that your average diastolic blood pressure should be lower than 90 and if possible below 80.

Your blood pressure goals depend on your medical history. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure goals should be.

How do I know if I am on track?

Blood pressure is always going up and down. It is your average blood pressure that matters.

Your personal blood pressure goals depend on your medical history. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure goals should be and what symptoms you should watch for.

How to track your home blood pressure readings

You can track your home blood pressure readings in two ways.

  1. You can log onto MyChart/Connect, the patient portal provided by your doctor’s office. From here, you can click on Track My Health, Remote Patient Monitoring - Hypertension. This will let you see all your home blood pressure readings. To learn about how to get started with MyChart/Connect, call 646-962-4200 or search online for “MyChart/Connect” and the name of your healthcare organization.

  2. You can create your own log that includes the date and time of each blood pressure reading and pulse

Controlling your blood pressure is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health.

RPM Hypertension enables you and your doctor to track your progress lowering your blood pressure.

In addition to taking your blood pressure medication as prescribed, here are 6 quick tips to lower your blood pressure:

What You Can Do to Lower Your Blood Pressure

  • Eat a well-balanced diet that is low in salt

  • Limit alcohol

  • Regular physical activity

  • Maintain a healthy weight

  • Reduce stress

  • Quit smoking

To learn more about lowering your blood pressure, read here.

↑ High

If your blood pressure is much higher than what you are used to seeing, wait 5 minutes resting quietly, go through your checklist and then measure again.

The American Heart Association recommends that if your reading is above 180/120 and you have symptoms such as chest pain, nausea/vomiting, severe headache, or dizziness, call 911 immediately.

If your blood pressure readings are still higher than usual and you don’t have symptoms, notify your doctors so they can advise on what to do next.

To learn more about what your blood pressure numbers mean, click here.

What To Do If Your BP Reading Seems Too High or Low

↓ Low

If your blood pressure is much lower that what you are used to seeing wait five minutes resting quietly, go through your checklist and then measure again.

The American Heart Association recommends that if your reading is below 90 and you have symptoms such as blurred or fading vision, dizziness or lightheadedness, feeling faint, notify your doctors so they can advise on what to do next.

To learn more about what your blood pressure numbers mean, click here.

Who to Contact If You Have Questions

Home blood pressure device not working properly.

Call Current Health: 1-844-611-2232

General questions about the RPM-Hypertension program?

Call RPM Navigator: 929-440-0316

Questions about your blood pressure treatment plan?

Contact your doctor’s office.

  • RPM-BP usually lasts for 6 months, but some patients end the program earlier, and others stay in the program for one year or longer.

    At the end of the program, a Navigator will call you to let you know your monitoring period is ending. The Current Health Support Team will then contact you to explain how to return the devices.

    We recommend you continue tracking your blood pressure at home even after the HomeTrackBP program is over.

    Ask your doctor if you need help getting your own home blood pressure device.

  • If you will be traveling for more than one week, we recommend you notify the RPM-BP navigator so they can pause the program.

    You can reach the Navigator by calling 929-440-0316

  • You can review your home blood pressure readings two ways.

    1. You can log onto Connect/MyChart, the patient portal provided by your doctor’s office. From here, you can click on Track My Health, Remote Patient Monitoring - Hypertension. This will let you see all your home blood pressure readings. To learn more about Connect/MyChart, click https://www.nyp.org/patientportal or call 646-962-4200.

    2. You can create a written log that includes the date, time, blood pressure reading and pulse

 FAQs

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