Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation of a Pharmacist‐Managed Hypertension Clinic

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To measure clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes associated with a pharmacist-managed hypertension clinic compared with physician-managed clinics. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, comparative study. SETTING: Managed care organization. PATIENTS: A total of 330 patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension. INTERVENTION: Hypertension care provided by either the pharmacist-managed hypertension clinic or physician-managed general medical clinics. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Baseline and 6-month evaluations consisted of systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements, a short-form health survey, and collection of health care utilization information. After treatment, blood pressure measurements were significantly lower (p<0. 001) in the pharmacist-managed hypertension clinic group than in the physician-managed clinic group. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the hypertension clinic group. Total costs for the hypertension clinic group were not different from those of the physician-managed clinic group (242. 46 vs 233. 20, p=0. 71), but cost: effectiveness ratios were lower in the hypertension clinic group (27 vs 193/mm Hg for systolic blood pressure readings, and 48 vs 151/mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure readings). CONCLUSION: In a hypertension clinic, pharmacists can be a cost-effective alternative to physicians in management of patients, and they can improve clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.