# ARTERY Outcomes: tAilored dRug Titration through artificial intElligence: an inteRventional studY

> **NIH NIH R44** · OPTIMA INTEGRATED HEALTH, INC. · 2020 · $654,816

## Abstract

Need: Nearly half (34 million) of all hypertension (HTN) patients have their blood pressure (BP)
uncontrolled. Despite medication and life-style management, the cost of HTN-associated hospitalizations is
$113 billion, or 15% of all hospital costs. HTN is the leading cause for stroke, heart failure (HF) and myocardial
infarction (MI) hospitalizations. Clinical trials have shown that active pharmacological treatment management
of HTN to BP goal reduces the incidence of stroke by 35-40%, MI by 15-25%, and HF by up to 64%.
 Solution: In response to the national “epidemic” of uncontrolled HTN, Optima Integrated Health has
developed optima4BP. optima4BP is an artificial intelligence (AI) that transforms the episodic and reactive
nature of uncontrolled BP pharmacological treatment management into a process that is continuous, proactive,
and personalized. The innovation was developed with the physician in mind by simulating the in-office clinical
reasoning treatment decision process. optima4BP is a physician decision support aid that safely and when
needed optimizes the pharmacological treatment for HTN. optima4BP is interoperable in real-time with the
EpicÒ Electronic Health Record (EHR), constantly evaluating the efficacy of patients’ current treatment and the
requirement for optimization. When a treatment optimization is needed, optima4BP communicates directly with
the treating physician by providing a recommendation in the EHR In-Basket that can be accepted or declined.
 Goal of Direct to Phase II: ARTERY Outcomes [tailored drug titration through artificial intelligence: an
interventional study] is a 12 months follow-up, randomized clinical trial (n=300) that: Evaluates optima4BP’s
safety and efficacy in improving HTN control [Aim 1], and Ensures Data Systems Maintenance [Aim 2].
 Aim 1. Evaluate optima4BP’s safety and efficacy in improving HTN control. We propose to conduct a
randomized clinical trial (ARTERY Outcomes) at UC San Francisco Medical Center (UCSF MC). We will
investigate the safety and efficacy of optima4BP in improving BP control compared to standard of care (SoC).
The primary end-point will examine the reduction in systolic BP (SBP) between in-office start and end of
study. Milestone: optima4BP reduces SBP by >6 mmHg than SoC. The safety of using optima4BP will
be investigated as a secondary outcome in the context of reported adverse events (AEs).
 Aim 2. Ensure data systems maintenance (DSM). DSM is a critical activity that includes optimization,
error correction, deletion of discarded features and enhancement of existing features. UCSF MC and Optima
IT teams will address (1) Data Acquisition upgrades and patches of any system/component within the data
flow; and (2) Surveillance management that addresses systems errors, and performs audits/upgrades on the
data repository [data warehouse]. Milestone: Ensure the validity of the collected-processed-analyzed data.
 Commercial Application: With a growing need for value-based care, optima4...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001603
- **Project number:** 5R44HL149428-02
- **Recipient organization:** OPTIMA INTEGRATED HEALTH, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Gabriela Voskerician
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $654,816
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2021-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001603

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001603, ARTERY Outcomes: tAilored dRug Titration through artificial intElligence: an inteRventional studY (5R44HL149428-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001603. Licensed CC0.

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