Proactive care approach helps members with hypertension in rural communities

Select Health, in partnership with Intermountain Health’s Sevier Clinic, has made proactive care a priority with a simplified approach to serving members with hypertension in the rural Sevier, Utah, community.?

Working with the data analysis vendor, Decision Point, Select Health’s Kirstin Johnson, registered nurse and quality consultant II, identified that the largest disparity for hypertension management was in rural communities, not urban areas.???

High blood pressure can strain arteries and the heart, and can even restrict blood flow to and from other body organs. This can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other problems.??

“We learned that the best practice is for Select Health members to have an at-home blood pressure cuff to monitor their own blood pressure and share the results with their provider,” Kirstin said. “This allows for quicker changes in medications and other treatments, and also allows the member to be more involved in their own care, potentially eliminating white-coat hypertension that may arise with in-person care.”?

Measuring blood pressure at home is done using an automated blood pressure cuff that goes over the member's arm. When a start button on the machine is pushed, the cuff inflates, and then while deflating, it measures the blood pressure without a stethoscope needed. The automated cuffs make the blood pressure reading more reliable, especially for those who may not otherwise have training on how to correctly perform a blood pressure test.?

Select Health and Intermountain created a test pilot in partnership with Sevier Clinic, where at-home blood pressure cuffs were given to Select Health members who received care at this clinic.??

“Partnering with the Quality Provider Program team to identify a clinic that would be a good partner, we decided on Sevier Clinic,” Kirstin said. “Since this is an Intermountain facility where we focus on proactive care, this would lessen the burden on clinic staff as they would be able to look at blood pressure readings directly in the electronic medical record to monitor pilot success without the staff having to send charts to an outside facility.”?

In total, 89 letters were sent to Select Health members who were patients of Sevier Clinic, inviting them to join the test pilot to receive blood pressure cuffs at no cost to them. Forty-one members responded, receiving at-home kits that they could use to monitor their blood pressure themselves.?

“At-home blood pressure checks allow members to monitor their numbers in real time,” Kirstin said. “It allows them to track their numbers day-to-day, giving positive reinforcement, especially when they’ve been making healthy lifestyle choices like taking a medication on time or exercising. Some members must travel a great distance to receive care in person, even for a blood pressure check. This initiative saves time and money, and ultimately saves lives.”?

Thanks to the partnership between Select Health and Intermountain’s Sevier Clinic, this test pilot has been successful in impacting the health of these Select Health members. Blood pressure numbers reported by members indicate that many are seeing improvements in heart health. The team responsible for this project continues to look for additional ways to support those in the community with hypertension.