Cholesterol Toolkit Targets #1 Cause of Death
November 16, 2023 · Andy Reynolds
We’ve released a toolkit in English and Spanish to give patients, doctors and health systems information they need to lower bad cholesterol, improve cardiovascular care.
CVD: What Quality Advocates Should Know
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the US.
- Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the deadliest type of CVD.
- There are evidence-based treatment and prevention strategies for ASCVD. But not enough people use them.
- One key strategy is to reduce LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad cholesterol.”
- Statins are effective at lowering LDL cholesterol, but not everyone who needs them gets them.
- NCQA, with support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, developed a toolkit to help patients, providers, and health systems improve cardiovascular care and reduce bad cholesterol.
The table below summarizes resources in the toolkit.
| Resource | Format | Audience | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| You can’t feel the effects of high cholesterol until it’s too late (also available in Spanish) | Infographic | Patients | This patient resource outlines facts about high cholesterol and highlights risk factors and strategies to manage high cholesterol (including lifestyle changes and medication). Links to helpful external resources, such as guidance for preparing for appointments, are also included. |
| A Spotlight On Cholesterol (also available in Spanish) | Pamphlet | Patients | This patient resource provides background on what cholesterol is and how to manage it. Patients can use this pamphlet to understand if they may be at a higher risk of high cholesterol and how to have conversations with their providers about ASCVD and treatment options. |
| Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease - A Call to Action: Provider Guide (also available in Spanish) | Guide | Providers | This guide for providers outlines background information on the prevalence of ASCVD and existing disparities in patients who are on cholesterol-lowering medications. It additionally covers how to utilize results from ASCVD risk calculators to determine appropriate care based on risk level and advice for talking to your patients (topics include medical care and treatment, emotional and mental health and physical health and fitness). |
| Cholesterol Screening Tool (also available in Spanish) | Pocket Guide | Providers | This pocket guide can be printed out and referenced by providers when screening patients for ASCVD risk. The guide outlines guideline-recommended interventions for each risk level category and lists risk-enhancing factors of ASCVD. |
| Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Reducing Population Risk | Brief Report | Health systems | This resource aims to equip health systems with information on how to address cholesterol health at the population level. Four overall strategies are presented: patient-centered care, care coordination, quality improvement, and awareness campaigns. Each strategy is detailed with recent research and case studies. |
