At Baptist Health, patient engagement shown to be equivalent to adding a BP med

The outreach program is showing serious clinical ROI by relying on patient-reported blood pressure data linked to the Epic MyChart-based interactive digital health assistant, Care Companion.

Kentucky ranks fifth in the U.S. for adults with hypertension, many of whose condition is not controlled. Untreated high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious health problems.

The traditional approach of seeing a patient in the office, prescribing medication, advising them on lifestyle changes to make, having them check their blood pressure at home and report back, has fallen short, said Dr. Brett A. Oliver, chief medical information officer at Baptist Health, which serves Kentucky and Indiana.

"We were looking at an alternative method to improving our patient’s lives that was scalable," Oliver explained. "The No. 1 reason for uncontrolled hypertension is lack of medication adherence."

There can be a number of causes for this, he added, such as cost, side effects, not recognizing the seriousness of the disease, etc. "But our theory was reminders outside of the office and simple, short educational pieces would drive improved adherence and ultimately better blood pressure control and outcomes."

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