Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Monitoring
Strong scientific evidence shows that self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring, also known as home blood pressure monitoring, plus clinical support helps people with hypertension lower their blood pressure.
SMBP monitoring is the regular measurement of blood pressure by the patient outside the clinical setting, either at home or elsewhere. SMBP requires the use of a home blood pressure measurement device by the patient to measure blood pressure at different points in time.
SMBP plus clinical support can improve access to care and quality of care for people with hypertension while making blood pressure control more convenient and accessible across the population. Clinical support includes regular one-on-one counseling, web-based or telephonic support tools, and educational classes.
Register for the Million Hearts® SMBP Forum, an opportunity for clinical, public health, and community-based partners to exchange best and promising practices, identify solutions to common obstacles, and share resources to accelerate SMBP monitoring uptake. The Forum convenes online quarterly. Past forum recordings, slides, and other resources can be found on the SMBP Forum Confluence page.
E-mail questions about the Forum to [email protected]
Featured Resources
This toolkit, developed by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) for Million Hearts®, can help organizations successfully integrate SMBP monitoring into care processes and workflows.
This site provides a list of clinically validated blood pressure devices, based on the American Medical Association’s (AMA) established criteria to independently validate clinical accuracy.
This video from NACHC, showcases several community health centers’ work to implement SMBP monitoring programs in their clinics.
This one-page overview outlines the viability, costs, and returns for implementing an SMBP monitoring program based on Medicare reimbursement.
SMBP Health IT Checklist [PDF – 136 KB]
This resource from the Public Health Informatics Institute provides a checklist of helpful characteristics for SMBP telemonitoring software.
Choosing-a-Home-BP-Monitor At-a-Glance-Comparison [PDF – 446 KB]
This tool was developed by the National Association of Community Health Centers to help health care professionals compare blood pressure measurement devices from the U.S. Validated Device Listing across device features including cost, available cuff sizes, and data/technology capabilities.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Key Findings from a National Health Information Technology Landscape Analysis [PDF – 1.3 MB]
This report from the Public Health Informatic Institute provides key findings from a national health information technology assessment on SMBP and identifies gaps, barriers, and recommendations to advance the collection, transfer, and use of patient-generated SMBP data to improve hypertension management.
Tools to Establish a Self-Measured BP (SMBP) Monitoring Program [PDF – 2 MB]
This list of resources from the Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Change Package can help assign care team roles for an SMBP monitoring program and guide patients on selecting a home blood pressure monitor. Read the full Million Hearts® Hypertension Control Change Package.
SMBP CPT® Coding [PDF – 1 MB]
This 2020 AMA handout for Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) provides codes and descriptions for SMBP-related services.
Target: BP: Implement SMBP
This AMA–AHA joint initiative can help health care professionals launch an SMBP monitoring program.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Program: Engaging Patients in Self-Measurement [PDF – 1.5 MB]
This program from the AMA and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is designed to help physician offices and health centers engage patients in SMBP monitoring.
Oscillometric Blood Pressure Devices Validated for Accuracy During Pregnancy [PDF – 441 KB]
This table from a 2021 Current Atherosclerosis Reports journal article features oscillometric blood pressure devices validated for accuracy during pregnancy.
Target: BP: CME Course: Using SMBP to Diagnose and Manage High Blood Pressure
This 1-hour continuing medical education (CME) course focuses on the appropriate use of SMBP monitoring in clinical practice and trains physicians, care teams, and other participants who are registered for Target: BP.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Action Steps for Clinicians [PDF – 947 KB]
These evidence-based action steps and resources, assembled by Million Hearts®, can help practices implement SMBP monitoring.
Collaborative Care Models for Improving Hypertension Control Through SMBP Monitoring
This video summarizes results from Accelerating Use of Self-measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Through Clinical-Community Care Models article, which discusses a pilot project in nine community health centers across three states to increase the use of SMBP using a collaborative model with health centers, community organizations, and health departments.
SMBP Coverage Insights: Medicaid [PDF – 232 KB]
This SMBP coverage summary from the American Medical Association shows Medicaid coverage by state for automated SMBP blood pressure devices, standalone cuffs, and related clinical services.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Action Steps for Public Health Practitioners [PDF – 1 MB]
This document provides action steps for public health practitioners to facilitate the implementation of SMBP monitoring plus additional support in five key areas: Understanding the environment; Working with payers and purchasers; Working with health care providers; Spreading the word to the public; and Monitoring/assessment of SMBP, plus additional support implementation.
Topline Findings: A National Analysis of Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Coverage and Reimbursement [PDF – 1.7 MB]
This report can help policymakers learn more about which payers have programs that cover and reimburse for SMBP monitoring.
CDC’s 6|18 Initiative: Accelerating Evidence into Action
The CDC 6|18 Initiative supports providing access for SMBP monitoring for home use and creating individual, provider, and health system incentives for compliance and meeting goals.
Collaborative Care Models for Improving Hypertension Control Through SMBP Monitoring
This video summarizes results from Accelerating Use of Self-measured Blood Pressure Monitoring (SMBP) Through Clinical-Community Care Models article, which discusses a pilot project in nine community health centers across three states to increase the use of SMBP using a collaborative model with health centers, community organizations, and health departments.
Release the Pressure Self-Measured Blood Pressure (SMBP) Training Video
This patient-friendly video from the Release the Pressure Coalition highlights the key steps people can take for accurate SMBP monitoring.
How to Use Your Home Blood Pressure Monitor
This patient-friendly video from NACHC outlines clear instructions for using home blood pressure monitors.
Taking Control of My Blood Pressure: D’Angelo’s Story
This video from NACHC features D’Angelo, a patient who explains how he has taken control of his blood pressure with the help of SMBP monitoring.
Taking Control of My Blood Pressure: Natalia’s Story
This video from the NACHC features Natalia, a patient who explains how she has taken control of her blood pressure with SMBP monitoring.
How to Measure Your Blood Pressure at Home [PDF – 255 KB]
This graphic from Target: BP demonstrates how to prepare for a blood pressure reading, the correct position to take your own blood pressure, and how to measure it.
The Correct Way to Measure Blood Pressure (English) (Spanish)
This easy-to-read graphic from CDC shows patients the correct way to measure blood pressure and can be shared on your social channels and patient websites.
How Do We Jump-Start Self-measured Blood Pressure Monitoring in the United States? Addressing Barriers Beyond the Published Literature
This article outlines high-level SMBP barriers that federal/national partners have encountered and offers potential solutions to achieve widespread SMBP implementation.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home: A Joint Policy Statement From the American Heart Association and American Medical Association
This 2020 joint policy statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the AMA addresses barriers to implementing SMBP monitoring.
An Opportunity to Better Address Hypertension in Women: Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring
This article presents strategies for strengthening the United States ability to address hypertension in women focusing on pregnancy-related considerations for self-measured blood pressure monitoring.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring: Comparative Effectiveness [PDF – 1.2 MB]
This 2012 AHRQ review examined the comparative effectiveness of SMBP alone, of SMBP plus additional clinical support, and of usual care.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) Recommendations on Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Interventions
This 2015 CPSTF systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of using SMBP with additional clinical support to manage high blood pressure and SMBP alone.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Final Recommendation Statement: Hypertension in Adults: Screening
This 2021 recommendation from the USPSTF includes additional guidance for obtaining blood pressure measurements away from the clinical setting.