Blood pressure (BP) is controlled to recommended levels in only 1 in 3 people with hypertension, and there has been little improvement since the late 1980s, despite advances in evidence to support aggressive hypertension control, and availability of many new and effective antihypertensive drugs. It is clear that meaningful and sustained improvement in hypertension control will likely require fundamental changes in the current physician-centered office-visit based model of caring for hypertension. In this project we develop and implement an intervention that takes advantage of new technology and team models of care to improve BP measurement and control, solving the problems that have limited the application of case management approaches to hypertension care improvement. The study will take place in a diverse population of adults with hypertension cared for in a real-world primary care setting. The Telemonitoring Intervention (TI) integrates 2 innovative components: First, home BP measures are done using state-of-the-art modem-enabled automated equipment that internally stores and electronically transmits BP data through a simple touch-tone telephone connection to a secure web site. Second, a pharmacist case manager integrated with the primary care team through a jointly used electronic medical record (EMR) and formulary adjusts antihypertensive therapy using an approved written protocol, under a collaborative practice agreement with physicians. Treatment decisions are based on home BP data and are discussed and communicated to patients in telephone visits with the pharmacist case manager. Two-way communication between the pharmacist case manager and the patient's primary care team is assured by using a shared EMR and by additional secure messaging of the results of every pharmacist encounter to the primary care team. To assess the impact of the TI on hypertension control, patient satisfaction, and costs of care, we will conduct a cluster-randomized trial, assigning 16 primary care clinics and 450 of their nested patients with uncontrolled hypertension to either a Usual Care (UC) control group or TI. Blood pressure outcomes in both groups will be determined at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months in an identical and blinded fashion in a research clinic separate from the clinical setting where patients received their medical care. We hypothesize that guideline BP control will be achieved at 6 months and maintained at 12 months in more than 60% of patients from TI clinics, compared to <40% in patients from UC clinics. We will compare satisfaction with care and costs in the TI and UC groups. The TI has the potential to improve hypertension control for millions of patients, and could be implemented widely in diverse and large patient populations based on performance in this randomized trial. The results of the project will have important implications for future efforts to improve care provided to many of the estimated 20 million Americans with uncontrolled hypertension.

Public Health Relevance

In this project we develop and implement an intervention to improve hypertension control in a primary care setting that takes advantage of new technology (home blood pressure telemonitoring) and team models of care (pharmacist case management). The results of the project will have important implications for future efforts to improve care provided to many of the estimated 20 million Americans with uncontrolled hypertension.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL090965-04
Application #
8122236
Study Section
Health Services Organization and Delivery Study Section (HSOD)
Program Officer
Einhorn, Paula
Project Start
2008-09-15
Project End
2013-06-30
Budget Start
2011-07-01
Budget End
2013-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$408,839
Indirect Cost
Name
Healthpartners Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
029191355
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55440
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Asche, Stephen E; O'Connor, Patrick J; Dehmer, Steven P et al. (2016) Patient characteristics associated with greater blood pressure control in a randomized trial of home blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist management. J Am Soc Hypertens 10:873-880
Pawloski, P A; Asche, S E; Trower, N K et al. (2016) A substudy evaluating treatment intensification on medication adherence among hypertensive patients receiving home blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist management. J Clin Pharm Ther 41:493-8
Margolis, Karen L; Asche, Stephen E; Bergdall, Anna R et al. (2015) A Successful Multifaceted Trial to Improve Hypertension Control in Primary Care: Why Did it Work? J Gen Intern Med 30:1665-72
Margolis, Karen L; Asche, Stephen E; Bergdall, Anna R et al. (2013) Effect of home blood pressure telemonitoring and pharmacist management on blood pressure control: a cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA 310:46-56
Kerby, Tessa J; Asche, Stephen E; Maciosek, Michael V et al. (2012) Adherence to blood pressure telemonitoring in a cluster-randomized clinical trial. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 14:668-74
Margolis, Karen L; Kerby, Tessa J; Asche, Stephen E et al. (2012) Design and rationale for Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring and Case Management to Control Hypertension (HyperLink): a cluster randomized trial. Contemp Clin Trials 33:794-803