<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jerome, Micky</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Xakellis, George C.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Angstman, Greg</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Patchin, Wayne</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Initial Medication Selection For Treatment Of Hypertension In An Open-Panel HMO</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1995</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1995-01-01 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><pages><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1-6</style></pages><doi><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10.3122/jabfm.8.1.1</style></doi><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">8</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Background: During the past 25 years recommendations for treating hypertension have evolved from a stepped-care approach to monotherapy or sequential monotherapy as experience has been gained and new antihypertensive agents have been introduced. In an effort to develop a disease management strategy for hypertension, we investigated the prescribing patterns of initial medication therapy for newly treated hypertensive patients. Methods: We examined paid claims data of an open-panel HMO located in the midwest. Charts from 377 patients with newly treated hypertension from a group of 12,242 hypertensive patients in a health insurance population of 85,066 persons were studied. The type of medication regimen received by patients newly treated for hypertension during an 18-month period was categorized into monotherapy, sequential monotherapy, stepped care, and initial treatment with multiple agents. With monotherapy, the class of medication was also reported. Associations between use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, or β-blockers and presence of comorbid conditions were reported. Results: Fifty-five percent of patients received monotherapy, 22 percent received stepped care, and 18 percent received sequential monotherapy. Of those 208 patients receiving monotherapy, 30 percent were prescribed a calcium channel blocker, 22 percent an ACE inhibitor, and 14 percent a β-blocker. No customization of treatment for comorbid conditions was noted. Conclusions: Physicians attempt to treat patients’ hypertension with monotherapy. In the majority of cases, they have used either a calcium channel blocker or ACE inhibitor as initial monotherapy. Costs for treating hypertension could be reduced and care improved if thiazide diuretics, a combination of potassium-sparing and thiazide diuretics, or β-blockers were used more frequently as initial monotherapy.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>