Urban Health Plan Receives Prestigious Designation as Anticoagulation Center of Excellence

BRONX, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Health Plan this month received the Anticoagulation Forum's prestigious Anticoagulation Center of Excellence designation. The designation continues to strengthen Urban Health Plan's strong commitment to provide the highest level of patient-centered care to those it serves. To become a Center of Excellence Urban Health Plan had to pass a rigorous assessment that measures consistent, sustainable excellence in various patient care areas.

Anticoagulation clinics play a key role in reducing bleeding risk due to inappropriate dosing, are critical to medication management and serve as safety clinics promoting safe and effective care for patients taking high-risk medications. They are extremely important in minority communities which face health access issues, longer weight times, financial constraints, and a lack of knowledge about their conditions, and as a result, may have difficulties self-managing their health.

In general, anticoagulation medications (blood thinners) are used to save lives by decreasing the thickness of the blood in some diseases and conditions like atrial fibrillation, heart valve replacements, hereditary blood conditions and internal blood clots.  That category of medications is considered a high-risk category as it affects the blood directly and could be affected by many factors as diet, supplements and other medications the patient is on. Anticoagulation requires a special follow up with certain measures under the supervision of highly trained healthcare providers and specialists.

Urban Health Plan's anticoagulation clinic, which is staffed by pharmacists trained to manage anticoagulation medications, helps monitor and manage patient's use of medications to prevent and treat blood clots.   

"At Urban Health Plan, the patient is at the center of everything we do. We are proud to have received this notable designation, which is one more way that we can ensure improved health outcomes for our communities," said Paloma Hernandez, President and CEO.  

 "Until now, there has not been a comprehensive standard to define ideal practices or a central place to find relevant resources for an anticoagulation. Being an Anticoagulation Center of Excellence provides those standards and resources. This educational program will have a lasting and profound effect on anticoagulation care for many years to come and we are proud to be considered an Anticoagulation Center of Excellence," said Manuel Vazquez, MD, Assistant Vice President for Care Management and Adult Walk-In.

About Urban Health Plan
Urban Health Plan (UHP), a network of federally qualified community health centers based in the South Bronx, Central Harlem and Corona, Queens, has served the community since 1974. We have eleven clinical sites, a mental health facility, twelve school-based sites and six administrative and program sites.  In 2019, we served more than 90,000 patients. UHP is Joint Commission accredited.  For more information, visit www.urbanhealthplan.org

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SOURCE Urban Health Plan