BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A large majority of hypertensive patients are cared for in primary care settings, and most of them do not have adequately controlled blood pressure. AvMed Health Plan, a large Florida-based, nonprofit, physician network health maintenance organization, initiated a program to assist primary care physicians to achieve a greater degree of blood pressure control in their hypertensive patients. Concomitantly, a study was designed to determine whether this physician-focused intervention improved blood pressure control in these patients. METHODS: Data were collected from pharmacy claims and medical charts for random samples of treated hypertensive patients prior to and following a 6-month educational intervention aimed at providers. Analysis of the data sets was conducted to determine what percentage of subjects achieved target blood pressure goals before and after the intervention. RESULTS: At baseline, 41% of the total population had achieved a target blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg; 52% achieved this goal following the intervention. When target blood pressure goals were defined as <140/90 mm Hg for nondiabetic subjects and < 130/85 mm Hg for diabetic subjects, 36% of the total population achieved target blood pressure goals at baseline; 47% achieved these goals following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A physician-focused intervention significantly improved blood pressure control in diabetic and nondiabetic hypertensive patients enrolled in AvMed Health Plan.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A large majority of hypertensivepatients are cared for in primary care settings, and most of them do not have adequately controlled blood pressure. AvMed Health Plan, a large Florida-based, nonprofit, physician network health maintenance organization, initiated a program to assist primary care physicians to achieve a greater degree of blood pressure control in their hypertensivepatients. Concomitantly, a study was designed to determine whether this physician-focused intervention improved blood pressure control in these patients. METHODS: Data were collected from pharmacy claims and medical charts for random samples of treated hypertensivepatients prior to and following a 6-month educational intervention aimed at providers. Analysis of the data sets was conducted to determine what percentage of subjects achieved target blood pressure goals before and after the intervention. RESULTS: At baseline, 41% of the total population had achieved a target blood pressure of <140/90 mm Hg; 52% achieved this goal following the intervention. When target blood pressure goals were defined as <140/90 mm Hg for nondiabetic subjects and < 130/85 mm Hg for diabetic subjects, 36% of the total population achieved target blood pressure goals at baseline; 47% achieved these goals following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A physician-focused intervention significantly improved blood pressure control in diabetic and nondiabetic hypertensivepatients enrolled in AvMed Health Plan.
Authors: Joel Broomfield; Nicola Schieda; Shannon M Sullivan; Larry W Chambers; Janusz Kaczorowski; Tina Karwalajtys Journal: Can Fam Physician Date: 2008-02 Impact factor: 3.275
Authors: Susan K Maue; James H Jackson; Bruce A Weiss; Marc L Rivo; Vishu Jhaveri; Barbara Lennert Journal: J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) Date: 2003 May-Jun Impact factor: 3.738