• M Bryant Howren, Michael A Steinman, Barry Carter, Mark W Vander Weg, and Peter J Kaboli.
• Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115 W Call St, Tallahassee, FL 32306. Email: matthew.howren@med.fsu.edu.
• Am J Manag Care. 2020 Sep 1; 26 (9): 382-387.

ObjectivesTo examine the effect of a patient activation intervention with financial incentives to promote switching to a thiazide in patients with controlled hypertension using calcium channel blockers (CCBs).Study DesignThe Veterans Affairs Project to Implement Diuretics, a randomized clinical trial, was conducted at 13 Veterans Affairs primary care clinics.MethodsPatients (n = 236) with hypertension previously controlled using CCBs were randomized to a control group (n = 90) or 1 of 3 intervention groups designed to activate patients to talk with their primary care providers about switching to thiazides: Group A (n = 53) received an activation letter, group B (n = 42) received a letter plus a financial incentive to discuss switching from a CCB to a thiazide, and group C (n = 51) received a letter, a financial incentive, and a telephone call encouraging patients to speak with their primary care providers. The primary outcome was thiazide prescribing at the index visit.ResultsAt the index visit, the rate of switching to a thiazide was 1.1% in the control group and 9.4% (group A), 26.2% (group B), and 31.4% (group C) for the intervention groups (P < .0001). In adjusted analysis, patients randomized to group C were significantly more likely to switch from a CCB to thiazide at the index visit (odds ratio, 4.14; 95% CI, 1.45-11.84; P < .01).ConclusionsThis low-cost, low-intensity patient activation intervention resulted in increased rates of switching to a thiazide in those whose hypertension was controlled using another medication, suggesting that such interventions may be used to overcome medication optimization challenges, including clinical inertia.

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