Evaluation of Initial Drug Selection For Newly Medicated Hypertensives at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe prescribing practices and costs of antihypertensive medications in a large employee health program one to three years after the issuance of the recommendations of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC) for initial treatment of uncomplicated hypertension with beta blockers and diuretics as monotherapy, based on ample evidence that these agents reduce morbidity and mortality. SETTING: Employee health plan for Westinghouse Electric Corp. PATIENTS: 1,218 newly diagnosed hypertensives. DESIGN: To evaluate initial pharmacotherapy for newly medicated hypertensives and adherence to the JNC-V recommendations, paid medical pharmacy claims from Westinghouse Electric Corporation's employee health plan for 1994-96 were analyzed. This analysis was modeled after a similar study of John Deere employees in which the majority received monotherapy with calcium channel blockers or ACE inhibitors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Antihypertensive medicati...