Recruitment for participation in the focus groups was managed by the Champions and VA and DoD Leadership, with assistance from coordinators at the facilities at which the focus groups took place. The following ideas and suggestions about aspects of care that are important to patients with HTN emerged as recurring themes during the discussions (Table 1). These concepts were important parts of the participants care and added to the Work Group s understanding of patient values and perspectives. Additional details regarding the patient focus group methods and findings can be found in Appendix B. Table 1. Hypertension CPG Focus Group Concepts Patient Focus Group Themes A. Provide comprehensive information and education to patients regarding their condition, management strategies, and self-management, including expanding available information on complementary and alternative therapies. B. Improve the method of measuring blood pressure in the office. C. Education around home monitoring devices and strategies for measurement and management, including frequency of measurement, is important. D. Improve communication between providers and patients, considering patient preferences regarding frequency of communication and mode of communication. E. All patients understood the importance of lifestyle modifications to lower their blood pressure. C. Conflicts of Interest At the start of this guideline development process and at other key points throughout, the project team was required to submit disclosure statements to reveal any areas of potential conflict of interest (COI) in the past 24 months. The project team followed the guidance on COI management from the VA/DoD EBPWG. Verbal affirmations of no COI were used as necessary during meetings throughout the guideline development process. The project team was also subject to random web-based surveillance (e.g., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] open payments or ProPublica). 