Effect of a Clinical Pharmacist Program on the Cost of Hypertension Treatment in an HMO Family Practice Clinic

This study evaluated the impact of a clinical pharmacy service on the cost of antihypertensive drug therapy in an HMO family practice clinic. The service was provided to five family practice physicians. Pharmacists identified hypertensive patients prior to their regularly scheduled office visits from April through June 1986. Patient's medical records and computerized drug files were reviewed, and written recommendations for drug therapy changes were placed in patients' medical record by the pharmacists. When appropriate, pharmacists alerted prescribers to lower cost alternatives. A matched control group of physicians was selected. Hypertensive patients were identified retrospectively in the control group. We found that the cost of antihypertensive drug therapy was significantly higher for study physicians' patients when compared with control physicians' patients in the period prior to implementing the service. The difference between the two groups was not significant after six months. Clinical pharmacist intervention decreased the average cost of antihypertensive treatment from 33.4 to 27.2 cents per day.