Economic evaluation of telephone self-management interventions for blood pressure control.
BACKGROUND
Half of patients with hypertension have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Recent models for treating hypertension have integrated disease monitoring and telephone-based interventions delivered in patients' homes. This study evaluated the costs of the Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS), aimed to improve BP control in veterans.


METHODS
Eligible veterans were randomized to either usual care or 1 of 3 telephone-based intervention groups using home BP telemonitoring: (1) behavioral management, (2) medication management, or (3) combined. Intervention costs were derived from information collected during the trial. Direct medical costs (inpatient, outpatient, and outpatient pharmacy, including hypertension-specific pharmacy) at 18 months by group were calculated using Veterans Affairs (VA) Decision Support System data. Bootstrapped CIs were computed to compare intervention and medical costs between intervention groups and usual care.


RESULTS
Patients receiving behavior or medication management showed significant gains in BP control at 12 months; there were no differences in BP control at 18 months. In subgroup analysis, patients with poor baseline BP control receiving combined intervention significantly improved BP at 12 and 18 months. In overall and subgroup samples, average intervention costs were similar in the 3 study arms, and at 18 months, there were no statistically significant differences in direct VA medical costs or total VA costs between treatment arms and usual care.


CONCLUSIONS
To optimize investment in telephone-based home interventions such as the HINTS, it is important to identify groups of patients who are most likely to benefit from more intensive home BP management.
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA. virginia.wang@va.gov
Virginia
V
Wang
Valerie A
VA
Smith
Hayden B
HB
Bosworth
Eugene Z
EZ
Oddone
Maren K
MK
Olsen
Felicia
F
McCant
Benjamin J
BJ
Powers
Courtney Harold
CH
Van Houtven
D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000191:economics*; D012648:Self Care; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans