Clinical and Engagement Results of a Nationwide Comprehensive Remote Patient Care Hypertension Program

Traditional methods for treating hypertension have been ineffective. Remote patient care (RPC) can transform how we provide longitudinal care for patients with hypertension.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an RPC hypertension program can provide a scalable solution for optimizing hypertension management, especially among rural/underserved patients.

A technology-enabled RPC provider enrolled patients into an RPC hypertension program from February 2022 to June 2024. Using vitals automatically transmitted from a cellular-enabled blood pressure (BP) cuff and scheduled visits, clinicians leveraged technology-enabled clinical protocols to drive engagement and improve hypertension control. Mean reduction in BP and percentage of individuals at BP goal were evaluated using a paired t-test and McNemar's test, respectively.

A total of 23,638 patients were enrolled (mean [SD] age 73(9), 60.0% female, 56.9% rural/underserved) with a baseline BP of 140/81 mm Hg. The mean (SD) reduction in BP was 7/5 (14/8) mm Hg (P < 0.001) after a follow-up of 30 (24) weeks, with a greater reduction in individuals with a higher baseline BP. Clinical engagement was high (75% and 57% of patients still measuring vitals at 6 and 12 months, respectively) with 11,834,837 vitals measured, 177,620 clinical encounters and 118,792 phone calls completed, and 117,457 high-acuity clinical alerts resolved. There was a 70% relative increase in the number of patients at goal BP at follow-up (36.6% vs 21.5%; P < 0.001). Results among rural/underserved patients were similar.

A nationwide RPC hypertension program can drive high patient engagement and facilitate clinical encounters at scale, resulting in reduced BP levels and more patients achieving BP goals across the United States.