About 65 million American adults have hypertension or high blood pressure. This chronic disease is so common that middle-aged Americans face a 90% chance of developing high blood pressure during their lifetimes.

Hypertension is often called "the silent killer" because you can have it for years without knowing it. In fact, this disease kills more than 46,000 Americans annually and is systemically linked to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

Hypertension is an increasingly important medical and public health issue, especially because so many sufferers are either not seeking treatment or are not compliant with their treatment. For example, of all people with high blood pressure, 11 percent are not on therapy (special diet or drugs) and 25 percent have inadequate therapy.

The Total Access Medical personal care program is designed to help adults better manage their hypertension.  TAM physicians work closely with patients and their other medical providers (such as cardiac specialists) in order to help patients understand their treatment, remain compliant with their medications, monitor their own blood pressure at work and home, and control their lifestyle risk factors.

Results
Over time, patients report having:

• Greater ability to track and manage fluctuations in their blood pressure
• Enhanced knowledge about their medications and controlling side effects
• Higher commitment level to their exercise and nutrition plan
• Reduced absences at work
• Fewer hypertension-related ER visits and hospital stays