OBJECTIVES: Blood pressure is the main test to help healthcare teams manage patients’ hypertension and reduce the chance of poor health outcomes such as heart attack, stroke and death. Closing the blood pressure gap in hypertension care is essential, especially in Louisiana where 40.2 percent of adults report that a health professional told them they had high blood pressure, which is nearly 8 percentage points higher than the U.S. average (32.4%). But few studies explore the relationship between healthcare cost and blood pressure care gap closure. This study seeks to quantify the financial effect of blood pressure care gap closures.

METHODS: This study uses Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana member-level claim data from 2018 to 2021. The hypertension care gap closure status of members comes via a HEDIS-certified tool. Members in this study started with “uncontrolled high blood pressure” (value equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg) and became “blood pressure compliant” (value less than 140/90 mmHg). Researchers used interrupted time series analysis and multivariate linear regression to study the relationship between the closure of the hypertension blood pressure care gap and the healthcare cost.

RESULTS:: Interrupted time series analysis reveals an estimated medical cost savings of $244 per member for those in the first year of compliance. Driving this was a reduction of 23 inpatient admissions per year (per 1,000), as well as a reduction of 48 emergency department visits per year (per 1,000).

CONCLUSIONS: Closing the hypertension blood pressure care gap shows a reduction in adverse events and results in financial savings. Moreover, the benefits of closing a hypertension blood pressure care gap increases as members continue to remain in compliance for an extended time. The opportunity for savings in Louisiana is substantial given the large population with hypertension.