Practice Pearls

Managing hypertension in primary care can be challenging, especially when social determinants impair patients' ability to access care, medications, and a healthy diet. A multidisciplinary, physician-led team offers clear advantages in addressing social factors.

Our clinic established a monthly team meeting to review patients with uncontrolled hypertension. Each team member had the following responsibilities.

1. Physician: Provides direct care management by selecting and prescribing medication while outlining the treatment goals for the patient.
2. Clinical pharmacist: Makes recommendations for medication choice and escalation dosing, and becomes an additional resource for interval medication management between office visits with the physician.
3. Social worker: Investigates community resources that could make medication and/or healthy food access more readily available.
4. Nurse: Provides education on blood pressure management and supports patients between visits.
5. Patient services representative: Makes appointments and sends reminder about follow-ups.

This approach has helped our patients with challenging social factors better control their hypertension.

Patient-facing electronic tools (e.g., practice websites and portals) may soon create legal liability for practices if they aren't accessible for patients with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is requiring health care companies with 15 or more employees to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by May 11, 2027. Smaller companies must comply by May 10, 2028.

Physicians don't need to personally audit or fix their digital platforms but should engage IT professionals and vendors to ensure the necessary fixes are made before the deadline. Such changes may require significant time to implement, so starting now to make a compliance plan is prudent.

Source: White J, DiVarco SM, Kelley A. HHS imposes accessibility standards for healthcare company websites, mobile apps, kiosks. Jan. 8, 2026. Accessed May 29, 2026. https://www.mcdermottlaw.com/insights/may-2026-deadline-hhs-imposes-accessibility-standards-for-healthcare-company-websites-mobile-apps-kiosks