Improved cholesterol management in coronary heart disease patients enrolled in an HMO.

The purpose of the study was to describe the effect of physician reminders on the measurement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and treatment to achieve an LDL-C goal of < or = 100 mg/dL in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. After reminders were initiated, the number of CHD patients without a documented LDL-C was reduced from 30% to 18%, between January 1997 and July 1998, and the percentage of CHD patients achieving the LDL-C goal improved from 10% to 27%. Thus, reminders can be an effective tool in improving cholesterol management of CHD patients. In contrast, a cholesterol-lowering clinic made available to some physicians, in addition to the reminders, was rarely used.