Reliant Medical Group Earns National Recognition for Commitment to Improve Cholesterol Levels

Reliant Earns Gold Status as Part of the American Heart Association’s 2019 “Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol.™” Awards

November 18, 2019 – Reliant Medical Group today announced that it has achieved “gold” status in 2019 for the American Heart Association’s Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol.™ award in recognition of the organization’s commitment to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke through improved cholesterol management.

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, estimated to cause nearly 2.6 million deaths annually. Yet, a survey from the American Heart Association shows that nearly two-thirds of people who have high cholesterol don’t think they’re at high risk for a heart attack or stroke.

To help people better understand their risk and learn to manage their cholesterol, the Association launched its Check. Change. Control. Cholesterol. initiative in 2017. Since then, more than 900 health centers and systems have registered to participate.

“We’re proud to earn yet another recognition for our providers’ abilities to manage controllable risk factors across our patient population,” said Tarek Elsawy, M.D., Reliant’s president and CEO. “High cholesterol is a serious health risk, and we’re firm believers in providing patients with the tools necessary to properly manage that risk, and ultimately avoid more serious complications.”

To help practices achieve their goals, the Association provides all participants with a dedicated website featuring a free, evidence-based improvement program that includes tools and resources to help clinicians improve cholesterol control rates. To facilitate easy and seamless adoption of the program, the Association will provide access to trained support specialists within their community who can help identify specific program components to incorporate into clinical practice.

“High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for heart disease, yet still is undertreated. This program helps physician practices put a spotlight on this important risk factor and help patients achieve and maintain control of it,” said James Langabeer, Ph.D., Chair of the American Heart Association’s Ambulatory Quality Improvement Advisory Group and Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center, McGovern Medical School. “We are so glad to see physician practices join this initiative to prioritize cholesterol control and ultimately improve heart health across the nation.”