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Blood pressure control among diabetes patients within a managed care setting

Donna Marshall1, Feride Frech-Tamas, Jenifer Wogen

  • 1Colorado Business Group on Health (CBGH), Denver, Colorado, USA.

American Journal of Medical Quality : the Official Journal of the American College of Medical Quality
|June 10, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Blood pressure control in diabetic patients remained stagnant between 2004 and 2005. Improved disease management and pharmacologic treatment are crucial for enhancing cardiovascular health in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Effective blood pressure (BP) control is essential for managing diabetes and preventing cardiovascular complications.
  • Suboptimal BP control remains a significant challenge in diabetic patient populations.
  • Assessing BP control trends is vital for evaluating healthcare interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate blood pressure control rates among diabetic patients across four Colorado health plans from 2004 to 2005.
  • To identify demographic factors associated with BP control in this cohort.
  • To determine the effectiveness of health plan interventions on BP management.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 1,445 diabetic patients in 2004 and 1,423 in 2005.
  • Definition of BP control as <130/80 mm Hg.
  • Comparative analysis of BP control rates between the two years and across health plans.

Main Results:

  • Overall BP control rates showed no significant improvement, with 33.1% in 2004 and 35.2% in 2005.
  • Women and younger patients were more likely to achieve BP control than men and older patients.
  • Two health plans demonstrated significant BP control improvement, while two experienced a decline.

Conclusions:

  • Sustained, significant improvement in BP control for diabetic patients was not observed between 2004 and 2005.
  • Targeted interventions and aggressive pharmacologic management are necessary to enhance cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Health plan-specific strategies may influence the effectiveness of BP control initiatives.

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