REPLACING SHORT-ACTING NIFEDIPINE WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICATIONS AT A LARGE HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION

In response to recent evidence about the safety of calcium channel blo ckers, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (GHC), a large health m aintenance organization, implemented a plan in April 1996 to reevaluat e the medications of 1349 patients who were taking short-acting nifedi pine. Following the intervention, 79.8% of patients taking short-actin g nifedipine discontinued use, and 45.6% switched to once-daily felodi pine. By presenting physicians and patients with recent evidence about the safety of short-acting nifedipine, a large health maintenance org anization was able to motivate broad-scale changes to safer alternativ e drug therapies. (C) 1998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.