A hypertension control quality improvement pilot program: Experiences and blood pressure outcomes from physician practices

Abstract

Improving Health Outcomes: Blood Pressure (IHO: BP) was a Quality Improvement (QI) pilot program developed by the American Medical Association (AMA) and Johns Hopkins Medicine aimed at helping physicians and their care teams better manage patients with uncontrolled hypertension. The pilot study was conducted at 10 ambulatory practice sites between October 2013 and November 2014 in which the initiative was to devise a framework and intervention strategies for improving hypertension control. The program included evidence-based tools and materials to support the Measure Accurately, Act Rapidly, and Partner with Patients (M.A.P.) framework, interactive components with coaching support and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and a measurement system supported by health technology, all intended to aid blood pressure management. This paper captures the learnings from the engagement, experiences, and satisfaction of care teams from the IHO: BP pilot that were used to adjust, reassess, and refine components of the QI program. Overall, participation in the IHO: BP pilot was associated with an increase in BP control rates from a mean of 69% to 75% (p < .05) for 3 of the 10 practices. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was reduced in 8 of 10 practices by a mean of 12.5 mmHg/6.5 mmHg (p < .05). Furthermore, evaluation of participant experiences indicated that 75% of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the initiative. The results from this study include components of the pilot that participants indicated were most helpful and were used to generate useful information for hypertension QI efforts that were later scaled and spread to subsequent initiatives.