High blood pressure had never been a concern for Donna, CFO of Banner Health’s Plans and Networks division and an avid long-distance runner. That changed after a sudden injury.
While training for a marathon, Donna suffered a gluteus medius tear and a stress fracture in her ankle. The pain and stress from the injury unexpectedly caused her blood pressure to spike.
“I woke up one morning really dizzy and realized my blood pressure was really high,” she says. Her primary care physician prescribed medication to bring it down. Banner Aetna noticed the change in her chart and proactively reached out, recommending she use her Hello Heart benefit.
Easy Tracking That Fits Into Real Life
Donna received a blood pressure monitor and began tracking her numbers through the Hello Heart app, as her doctor advised. She checked her blood pressure three times a week, both morning and evening.
“It’s so nice not having to write anything down. Hello Heart automatically logs my readings, and I can share them with my doctor anytime,” she explains.
She also leaned into the app’s coaching tips. A self-described “data geek,” Donna experimented with relaxing for two minutes or taking a reading after using the restroom, just to see if the results changed.
“It was right,” she says with a laugh.
Insights That Made a Difference
The results were powerful. Within 90 days, Donna’s blood pressure began to stabilize. At her six-month checkup, her doctor took her off medication entirely and recommended she continue monitoring.
Donna found Hello Heart’s clinician report especially helpful. It made it easy for her doctor to track her progress and see trends over time: “My clinician loves the report. She said it has great information and great insights, and she just uploads it directly into MyChart.”
The experience was eye-opening. Donna had always associated high blood pressure with lifestyle or family history, not a sports injury. “I never thought my blood pressure could be impacted by something like that,” she says. The event reinforced how important it is to know your numbers, even if you feel healthy.
Moving Forward with Peace of Mind
Today, Donna is back to marathon training, pain-free and with steady blood pressure. She plans to keep using Hello Heart.
“Monitoring your blood pressure is so important regardless of your fitness level,” she says. “I would highly recommend Hello Heart.”
Her story is an important reminder: even active, health-conscious people can face unexpected heart challenges. With Hello Heart, Donna gained the tools and insights to get back on track—and go the extra mile, both on the course and for her heart.
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1. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed October 19, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https:/www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
2. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021- Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-fundedemployer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
