Measure Up/Pressure Down® Campaign and Withings Announce High Blood Pressure Pilot Project Outcomes Self-Monitoring Project Results Indicate Improvements in Hypertension Control for AMGA Members
Newswise — ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) announced today that patients participating in a home blood pressure monitoring pilot project led by its Measure Up/Pressure Down® campaign and Withings improved blood pressure control rates significantly. Findings showed that blood pressure control rates improved from 38.6% to 70.0% when comparing the first and last blood pressures recorded with the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor during the 18-month project.
During the project, AMGF and Withings aimed to improve blood pressure control in patients under the care of four participating medical groups and health systems, in parallel with the goal of the AMGF’s Measure Up/Pressure Down® national hypertension campaign. The project also created a new knowledge base on best practices for home blood pressure monitors in an ambulatory care setting, including patient recruitment, enrollment, and engagement; modifications in care processes and therapies; and patient and provider satisfaction.
Over the course of 18 months, 150 patients receiving care from four American Medical Group Association (AMGA) member organizations – Billings Clinic, Community Physician Network, Cornerstone Health Care, and Wilmington Health, collaborated with their health care providers to manage blood pressure with the assistance of the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor (http://withings.com/en/bloodpressuremonitor). Patients connected the monitor with their iOS or Android devices and took readings on a regular basis, which were then transmitted to their healthcare team in real-time via a dedicated web portal. Based on the provided data, care teams were able to schedule office visits and/or make appropriate therapy changes for patients with out-of-control readings.
“Outcomes from this pilot project reinforce the incredible value that home blood pressure monitoring offers to patients and their healthcare teams,” said Cedric Hutchings, CEO and co-founder of Withings. “With the ability to continually monitor progress, make changes where necessary, and gain encouragement when seeing successes, the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor has helped many participants gain control over their personal health and establish richer relationships with their health care professionals.”
At the conclusion of the project, patient survey results confirmed that, in general, use of the device helped improve their ability to monitor and control their blood pressure, and they were able to see improvements in their blood pressure through using the device.
“AMGF greatly appreciates the support of Withings and the involvement of the four AMGA members to improve patient health and learn more about the effectiveness of home blood pressure monitoring,” says Jerry Penso, MD, MBA, President of AMGF and Chief Medical and Quality Officer of AMGA. “Thanks to this project, we were able to not only to make advancements in blood pressure control, but also identify and disseminate best practices and findings so other practices can benefit.”
High blood pressure (also referred to as hypertension) is one of our nation's most significant health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high blood pressure contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths a day and accounts for an estimated $156 billion in health care services, medications, and lost productivity. An estimated 68 million Americans have the disease, often referred to as the “silent killer.” Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to many serious health issues, including heart attacks, chronic heart failure, and stroke.
It is critical to note that these findings were developed from data in an observational study. By nature, observational studies cannot be used as a reliable source to make statements of fact about the safety, efficacy, or effectiveness of a practice or device. As AMGF and Withings did not collect and analyze all factors that can potentially contribute to hypertension control, there is no means of verifying that the improvements occurred because of enrollment in this project or use of the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor.
About the Measure Up/Pressure Down® CampaignThe American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF), the nonprofit arm of the American Medical Group Association, launched Measure Up/Pressure Down®-a three-year national campaign to improve care and reduce the burden of high blood pressure on November 29, 2012. The goal of the three-year campaign is to have 80 percent of high blood pressure patients in control of their condition by 2016. Measure Up/Pressure Down™ includes nearly 150 medical groups and health systems such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Geisinger Health System. The campaign also brings together national partners and sponsor organizations to work collectively to provide patients and communities information and tools that facilitate lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and other keys to successful blood pressure control. Partners and supporting organizations of the campaign include the American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, American Society of Hypertension, American Stroke Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, Institute for Health and Productivity Management, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Men’s Health Network, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Million Hearts® initiative, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, Right Care Initiative, and WomenHeart. Withings joins seven campaign sponsors that are committed to helping resolve this public health challenge: Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., Baptist Medical Group, Aetna, Humedica, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Epic, and Ralphs. For more information about the campaign, visit www.MeasureUpPressureDown.com.
About WithingsWithings is the company that leads the connected-health revolution. Founded by visionary innovators Cédric Hutchings and Eric Carreel, Withings create products and services that empower people to track their lifestyle and improve their everyday well-being for a better long-term health. Emotional, flawlessly designed and simple-to-use, they seamlessly introduce cutting-edge innovation into people’s daily routine. Since 2009, Withings has built a range of products that covers the whole health spectrum including the Withings Pulse (activity tracker), the Smart Body Analyzer, the Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor and Withings Aura. Every piece of collected data comes to life into the Withings Health Mate application where users get coaching and motivation tools to shape every aspect of their health. Read more about Withings on www.withings.com.
About AMGFThe American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF) is AMGA’s nonprofit arm that enables medical groups and other organized systems of care to consistently improve health and health care. The AMGF serves as a catalyst, connector and collaborator for translating the evidence of what works best in improving health and health care in everyday practice. www.amgf.org
About AMGAThe American Medical Group Association is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing medical groups, health systems, and other organized systems of care, including some of the nation's largest, most prestigious integrated delivery systems. AMGA is a leading voice in advocating for efficient, team-based, and accountable care. AMGA members encompass all models of organized systems of care in the healthcare industry, including: physician-owned, independent group practices, integrated delivery systems, hospital-affiliated medical groups, independent practice associations (IPAs), academic and faculty practices, accountable care organizations, and high-performing health systems. More than 170,000 physicians practice in AMGA member organizations, providing healthcare services for 120 million patients (one in three Americans). Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, AMGA is the strategic partner for these organizations, providing a comprehensive package of benefits, including political advocacy, educational and networking programs, publications, benchmarking data services, and financial and operations assistance. www.amga.org
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