For fifteen years, Be There San Diego (BTSD) has brought competing health systems across San Diego County to the same table, around a shared goal: eliminate heart attacks and strokes in the county. This quarter, that work reached a milestone. Hypertension control across BTSD's participating health systems hit 81.4 percent, clearing the collaborative's 80 percent goal for the first time since the pandemic. 

BTSD is not a clinic and it holds no regulatory authority. It is a collaborative of medical directors and clinical leaders from health systems, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s), and community clinics across the county, brought together to share data and spread what works. 

Collaboration that Drives Results 

At its core are two structures with 15 health system partners: the Data for Quality Project, where partners voluntarily submit standardized outcome data so partners can benchmark honestly against each other, and the University of Best Practices, a recurring forum where clinical leaders compare approaches and disseminate updated clinical guidance. 

That structure is what makes the 81.4 percent number meaningful. It is not the result of one hospital alone. It reflects more than 1.2 million San Diegans tracked across the collaborative's reporting systems, and it represents a decade and a half of clinical leaders choosing, quarter after quarter, to share their outcomes with organizations they otherwise compete against. 

This milestone builds on BTSD’s well-documented track record. A 2018 study published in Health Affairs found that AMI hospitalization rates in San Diego County fell 22 percent in BTSD's early years, compared to 8 percent statewide, an estimated 3,826 heart attacks avoided and $86 million saved. Reaching 80 percent hypertension control now is the same collaborative model, still producing results, fifteen years in. 

Looking Ahead and Continuing the Progress 

The work is not finished. Diabetes-related measures, including HbA1c control and statin prescribing, remain in the high 70s, just below the goal, and disparities persist. Hispanic/Latino patients in BTSD's tracked population show a HbA1c control rate nearly eight percentage points below their white peers, a gap the collaborative is actively addressing. 

BTSD's Executive Committee members have sustained this work since 2010, through leadership transitions and organizational change, because they believe shared data and honest benchmarking beat working alone. This quarter's result is proof the model still works. 

How You Can Help 

Learn more about Be There San Diego and the San Diego Wellness Collaborative's work toward a heart attack and stroke free San Diego County. Health systems and clinical leaders interested in joining the Data for Quality Project or University of Best Practices can reach out to get involved. 

Contact name and email/phone number: Kitty Bailey, MSW, CEO kitty@sdwellnesscollaborative.org (760) 707-9256