Key Takeaways
- Telehealth navigators can improve blood pressure control for Black patients with hypertension
- Using community health workers alongside remote monitoring may help reduce disparities
- Telehealth navigator programs can boost short-term patient engagement in care
- Sustainable reimbursement is key to scaling these models
Boston, MA - A new study led by researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, with researchers from Boston University and Boston Medical Center, shows that a telehealth navigator program can significantly improve blood pressure control among Black patients with hypertension cared for at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).
The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine , evaluated a telehealth navigator intervention designed to help patients better engage with care and use remote health tools. Researchers found that the program was associated with a 31.4 percentage point increase in the likelihood of having controlled blood pressure.
Hypertension is a leading risk factor for heart disease and disproportionately affects Black individuals in part due to long-standing inequities in access to quality, coordinated care. The new findings highlight a promising, community-based approach to narrowing these gaps.
Helping patients navigate care - and technology
The intervention placed telehealth navigators, community health workers embedded in primary care practices, inside FQHCs. These navigators helped patients schedule visits, use virtual care platforms, and monitor their blood pressure from home using remote patient monitoring tools.
"The telehealth navigator role may improve blood pressure outcomes in a number of ways," said Megan Cole Brahim, PhD, MPH, Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Population Medicine at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and senior author of the study. "Telehealth navigators are community health workers, members from the patient's community who can help build trust, coordinate care, and support patients in using digital health tools. They also help connect patients to social and behavioral services that can affect blood pressure."
The telehealth navigator program was developed and implemented by Community Care Cooperative (C3), a network of federally qualified health centers in Massachusetts, in partnership with the research team. C3 is a 501(c)(3) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) founded and governed by FQHCs.
Large gains in blood pressure control
Researchers compared patients who enrolled in the intervention to similar patients at other FQHCs that did not implement the program. The study used a quasi-experimental design and electronic health record data to assess outcomes.
Among Black adults with hypertension who participated in the program, the likelihood of having controlled blood pressure increased by more than 30 percentage points compared to similar patients who did not receive the intervention.
The intervention also increased primary care engagement in the short term, though those effects did not persist beyond the first few months.
Addressing inequities in care
High blood pressure remains one of the most significant and preventable drivers of cardiovascular disease, with stark racial disparities in hypertension prevalence and outcomes. Black patients in particular experience inequitable outcomes. Programs like telehealth navigation offer a scalable way to improve outcomes, especially in underserved communities.
"Our findings suggest that expansion of telehealth navigator interventions within primary care, supported by remote patient monitoring, may be a key strategy for improving hypertension outcomes in populations that experience health disparities," said Cole.
Implications for policy and practice
While scaling evidence-based models like telehealth navigator programs offers a promising solution to improving hypertension outcomes, Cole says that "these programs will also require sustainable support, including reimbursement for community health worker roles and remote patient monitoring services."
Authors note that broader adoption will also depend on health systems and policy makers supporting care models that integrate telehealth navigators into care teams.
The study builds on growing evidence that combining care coordination, community-based support, and digital health tools can improve outcomes for patients who face barriers to accessing care.
Citation:
Lim KN, Benjamin EJ, Hategeka C, Cole MB. Impact of a Telehealth Navigator Intervention on Hypertension Control Among Black Patients Served by Federally Qualified Health Centers. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2026.
About the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of Population Medicine
