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Program Model:

Date and Duration: October 2021 – July 2022

MNPQC Hypertension ECHO

Purpose

The Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) is hosting FREE monthly education calls for our Hypertension in Pregnancy and Postpartum Period Initiative, open to all. This is in collaboration with Project ECHO to implement the MNPQC Hypertension in Pregnancy Care Process Model, case review, and sharing best practices through collaboration.

Goals & Objectives

Session Details

October 12, 2021 – Optimizing Care and Reducing Risk of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) During Preconception and at the Initial OB Visit

Presenter: Tanya Melnik, MD | MHealth Fairview

Topics addressed:
Care in the 4th trimester, low-dose aspirin, identifying stage 1 and 2 hypertension, appropriate blood pressure measurement, optimal workup of preexisting hypertension, and thresholds for treatment in pregnancy LDA, how to take BPs, optimal cHTN workup, and threshold for treatment.

November 19, 2021 – Recognizing and reacting to severe hypertension in pregnancy

Presenter: Todd Stanhope, MD | North Memorial Health

Topics addressed:
Triaging patients with severe hypertension, treatment algorithms, hypertensive order set building, and magnesium initiation.

December 14, 2021 – Hypertension Management: The Blue Band Initiative

Presenter: Melissa Bray, MSN Ed., BSN, RNC-MNN, PHN | CentraCare

Topics addressed:
Implementation of the Blue Band Project to identify hypertensive patients and provide resources for the community

January 11, 2022 – Management of Severe Hypertension – Changing the Culture

Presenter: Maggie Colliander, MSN, RNC-OB, CBC | Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital

Topics addressed:
Escalation process

February 8, 2022 – A system wide Model for Management of Severe Hypertension: lessons learned and opportunities for continued improvement

Presenter: LeeAnn Hubbard, MD | Health Partners

Session Objectives:

  1. Share a process for system alignment on perinatal HTN.
  2. Provide lessons learned and outcome measurement tools.
  3. Discuss continued improvement opportunities.
March 8, 2022 – Addressing inequities in hypertensive care

Presenter: Jaime Slaughter-Acey, Ph.D., MPH

Session Objectives:

  1. Describe race as a multidimensional social construct that influences maternal health and healthcare.
  2. Discuss the role of racial discrimination in and outside of the healthcare system in shaping maternal health outcomes and healthcare use.
  3. Examine lived experiences of BIPOC individuals as patients interacting with the healthcare system and healthcare providers teams.
  4. Identify everyday administrative policies or healthcare practices that may contribute to BIPOC patient experiences and differential maternal outcomes.
April 12, 2022 – Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) Management in the Postpartum Period

Presenter: Dr. Retu Saxena | Allina

Topics addressed:
Standardized blood pressure management, patient discharge education, and outpatient follow-up recommendations.

May 10, 2022 – Moving the needle on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) care in Minnesota

Presenters:

  • Dr. Bethany Sabol |  Hypertension Initiative Co-Chair | MHealth Fairview
  • Dr. Todd Stanhope | MNPQC Chair | North Memorial Health

Home blood pressure monitoring & leveraging the EMR for quality improvement in obstetric hypertension

Session Objectives:

  1. Review current evidence supporting the use of home blood pressure monitoring postpartum in high-risk populations.
  2. Provide practical tools for the implementation of home blood pressure monitoring programs in different healthcare settings.
June 14, 2022 – Transitions of care in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP)

Panel Presentation
Cinthia Fondrk & Anna Mueller
Ramsey County BECC and MVNA

Session Objectives:

  1. Describe the role of public health nursing in the care of clients with hypertension in pregnancy or the postpartum period.
  2. Discuss the benefits of universal nurse home visiting for the postpartum client.
July 12, 2022 – Lifelong implications of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP)

Presenter: Dr. Courtney Baechler

Topics addressed may include:
Long-term cardiovascular risk associated with HDP and recommendations for lifelong follow-up care.

Session Objectives:

  1. Discuss best practices for 4th-trimester risk reduction and subsequent cardiac disease development.
  2. Learn practical opportunities to enhance long-term prevention in your patients to reduce the development of chronic disease.

Toolkit

Our toolkits provide targeted resources specific to each QI program, offering essential materials to support healthcare teams in achieving improvement goals.

Hypertension Data Collection Tool
Hypertension in Pregnancy Initiative

MNPQC’s Quality Improvement Programs were developed with support and guidance from hospital teams and professional faculty throughout the state of Minnesota. The contents do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by our partners.

Project Echo

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a virtual model that supports shared learning and collaboration across diverse care settings. In our perinatal work, the ECHO structure allows us to extend education beyond traditional quality improvement programs and reach a broader, multidisciplinary audience involved in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. Sessions follow the ECHO model of “all teach-all learn” with brief expert-led didactics paired with interactive discussion and real-world application, creating space for dialogue across clinical, public health, and community perspectives. By offering regularly scheduled, accessible sessions and intentionally revisiting high-priority perinatal topics while remaining flexible to emerging needs, the ECHO approach strengthens engagement, reinforces learning over time, and supports a connected perinatal workforce.