Intervention resulted in a 17 percent absolute improvement in closing BP gaps, increased MA Star performance
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Use of voice-based artificial intelligence (AI) enables collection and validation of self-reported blood pressure (BP) measurements at home, improving Medicare Advantage (MA) Stars performance, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Hypertension 2025 Scientific Sessions, held from Sept. 4 to 7 in Baltimore.
McKay Crowley, M.D., from Guidehealth in Dallas, and colleagues examined the effectiveness and scalability of a voice-enabled AI agent in engaging patients to self-report accurate BP readings among 2,000 patients with open gaps in controlling blood pressure (CBP) identified from electronic medical records. Patients were contacted to provide recent BP readings or conduct live measurements during the call using multimodal methodology, including generative AI voice agents; readings were then entered into the electronic health record, reviewed by a clinician, and submitted as supplemental data to close gaps.
The researchers found that 85 percent of patients were successfully reached in a 10-week sprint. Sixty-seven percent of these patients completed the call, and 60 percent took a compliant BP reading. Of these, 68 percent met compliance thresholds for CBP Stars. A total of 1,939 CBP gaps were closed overall, which increased the measure from a 1-Star to a 4-Star performance, representing a 17 percent absolute improvement. Patient-reported satisfaction exceeded 90 percent in the completed calls, reflecting positive experiences.
“We were surprised by the high patient satisfaction scores after interacting with artificial intelligence-based voice agents,” lead author Tina-Ann Kerr Thompson, M.D., from Emory University in Atlanta, said in a statement. “We are excited for what that means for the future, since patient engagement and satisfaction are so critical to health care outcomes.”
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