ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of the chronic medication optimization pharmacist (CMOP) program on blood pressure (BP) control and time to goal compared with usual care in the ambulatory care setting. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study that included patients from June 2018 to June 2020 who were seen in an ambulatory care clinic for hypertension management. METHODS: Patients aged 18 to 80 years were divided into 2 cohorts based on hypertension management by usual care or the CMOP program. Patients were enrolled in the CMOP program either by referral or identification via a data analytics tool. The primary outcome assessed the proportion of patients within BP goal (< 140/90 mm Hg) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes assessed the proportion of patients within goal at 6 months, time and number of visits to goal, and adherence (CMOP cohort only). RESULTS: The primary end point demonstrated a greater proportion of patients within goal in the CMOP cohort compared with usual care (69.4% vs 42.3%; P < .001). The CMOP cohort also displayed a greater proportion of patients achieving goal within 6 months (75.7% vs 60.4%; P = .014) and faster time to goal (42.99 vs 63.12 days; P = .002), but more visits (1.67 vs 1.18; P = .001). Lastly, adherence improved from 50.4% to 72.1% in the patients with a documented adherence assessment in the pharmacist group (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacist intervention improved BP control in a primarily African American patient population compared with usual care. Future studies should assess the sustainability of this intervention.
