Report: Digital Care Management can help lower blood pressure by more than 9%

Many members with hypertension live with other chronic conditions, like diabetes. If not managed properly, hypertension can contribute to health complications and preventable readmissions.

We analyzed user information from the Wellframe app to better understand the impact of digital care management programs on member’s health outcomes. Using Wellframe’s Digital Care Management programs, members with high blood pressure* were able to reduce their blood pressure range by 7%. And members reporting Stage 2 Hypertension** reduced their blood pressure by more than 9% using Wellframe.

remote patient monitoring, clinicians may face delays in reporting and have trouble forming an accurate picture of a member’s readings over time. Disparate apps and devices, gaps in member data, and lags in data access are common roadblocks health plans and clinicians face when working with members. To increase engagement and improve outcomes for hypertensive members, digital care solutions have to be convenient, enable earlier interventions, and deliver a personalized health experience.

Solution

Using Wellframe’s Digital Care Management solution, members with hypertension were able to lower their blood pressure between 3.3 and 9.6%.

Wellframe offers Adult Biometrics programs that allow enrolled members to log and track their health data—including 5 specifically for blood pressure. Members enrolled in one of these programs receive prompts to report their blood pressure at different points throughout the day. When members input their blood pressure readings, they can view past reading inputs along with a chart that shows trends in their readings over time—making it easier for members and their clinicians to monitor progress.

In addition, Wellframe offers a Hypertension digital care program as part of the Chronic & Complex Care offering. Members enrolled in the Hypertension program receive educational articles, surveys, and encouragements that give them the information and support they need to stay on track with their health goals.

Through the Wellframe app, members and care teams can also exchange HIPAA-compliant messages. This asynchronous communication improves access for members who can’t or don’t respond to telephonic communication alone. Members can also set up daily reminders to take their medications, track physical activity, and browse clinically reviewed articles about health and wellness issues they care most about.

Results

Members who stayed engaged in their digital care program for 100 days or more saw the greatest reductions in blood pressure.

• 9.5% decrease in blood pressure for members with Stage 2 Hypertension after 50 days, compared with 6.7% (51-100) and 7.1% (100+) for members with Stage 1 Hypertension  

Members with Stage 2 Hypertension experienced the greatest reductions in blood pressure overall. 

• A reduction of 5.7% for members with Stage 1 Hypertension, on average from 11-100+ days 
• A reduction of 8.0% for members with Stage 2 Hypertension, on average from 11-100+ days 

Members who enrolled in the Hypertension program and were only engaged 11-50 days and saw less than half the blood pressure reduction than members who were engaged the full 100 days or more. 

Deeper engagement drove better outcomes

Hypertension can increase risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and other chronic conditions. Helping your high-risk members lower their blood pressure can prevent more complex conditions from developing—reducing the risk of unnecessary hospital admissions, readmissions and lowering care costs over time. In addition to improving clinical outcomes, offering digital care management can help care managers engage double the member population compared with traditional care management, and increase member touchpoints by 500%. 

Notes:

*Stage 1 Hypertension: systolic blood pressure of 130-139 mmHg  

** Stage 2 Hypertension: systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher