High Blood Pressure Awareness Month in May is a good time to remind our members of the importance of controlling their blood pressure to help prevent heart disease and stroke.
To help you support your patients with hypertension control, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following resources and materials: Resources for Health Care Professionals toolkit, a Healthy Lifestyle Goals Calendar that provides healthy recipes and fun options to get patients moving, and implementing a Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring With Clinical Support Program. This program is a cost-effective way to help increase medication adherence and lower blood pressure. To help close gaps in care, we ask you to:
- Consider modifying the treatment plan if the patient is hypertensive during the visit.
- Review diet, medications, exercise regimen, and treatment adherence with the patient at each visit.
- Partner with patients to help identify any barriers to effective blood pressure management.
- Connect patients with care coordinators or other practice staff.
- Encourage patients to use mail-order pharmacy services to save on the cost of medications.
If a member needs coaching on self-care, consider referring them to our Complex Case Management program. For more information and/or for your referrals, call our Care Management department at 800-447-0768, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.