Problem: In Maryland, hypertension diagnoses rose from 24.5% in 2001 to 34.5% in 2021. Preoperative hypertension is often under-recognized, leading to surgical delays or cancellations, greater workflow demands, and financial losses from unused OR time. A community hospital affiliated with a large academic health system has seen more patients presenting with preoperative essential hypertension on surgery day. Purpose: This QIP aims to reduce delays in reporting hypertensive blood pressures and improve provider awareness in the preoperative unit. Methods: Experts in the field developed the Hypertension Alert Tool (HAT) to enhance hypertension recognition and response times. Printed on bright red paper, the HAT is completed by preoperative nurses and attached to the anesthesia consent form. It highlights blood pressure readings and includes treatment guidelines from the AHA and ASA. Nurses document initial and rechecked pressures and any day-of-surgery antihypertensive use. Literature supports that checklists, accessible resources, and chart alerts improve provider awareness and treatment times. Implementation involved 12 anesthesia providers and 30 nurses. HAT data is collected via nursing surveys. The tool is used for patients with systolic BP ≥170 mmHg or diastolic ≥100 mmHg. Nurses complete and document HAT use through a QR code survey; they also complete a survey if a qualifying patient does not receive a HAT. Anesthesia providers use HAT as a chart alert. Audits assess completion and proper use. Results: Results indicated that while the appropriate tool utilization for the qualifying population had varied, there was progress in HAT implementation, with positive trends observed in the latter weeks aside from week 8. Conclusions: Continued education and reinforcement, alongside further data collection, will be crucial to solidifying the tool's reliability and ensuring that it becomes an effective and sustainable intervention. Keywords: Alert tool, Hypertension, Case delays, Guidelines