Study: Kaiser Initiative Helps Lower Blood Pressure Rates

From 2001 through 2009, Kaiser Permanente Northern California nearly doubled the percentage of patients whose blood pressure rates were lowered to healthy levels, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. For the program, researchers distributed to all Kaiser clinics a list of best practices developed by the most successful facilities. In addition, Kaiser regularly updated participating physicians with evidence-based guidelines on blood pressure medications. Researchers also offered patients no-cost follow-up visits with medical assistants that could be scheduled at flexible times, among other strategies.

• "Kaiser Study Yields Big Progress for Hypertension" (Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/21).
• "Model Program Boosts Blood-Pressure Control for Patients" (Doheny, HealthDay, 8/20).
• "Program Tied to System-Wide Blood Pressure Benefits" (Pittman, Reuters, 8/20).