Clinical Practice Guidelines

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) uses the following national clinical practice guidelines to support our condition management program. Guideline dates reflect the most recent update from the sponsoring organization.

Advance Care Planning

• Evidence for Improving Palliative Care at the End of Life: A Systematic Review. Annals of Internal Medicine.15 January 2008, Volume 148 Issue 2, Pages 147-159. 
• Evidence-Based Interventions to Improve the Palliative Care of Pain, Dyspnea, and Depression at the End of Life: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. 15 January 2008, Volume 148 Issue 2, Pages 141-146. 
• Health Care Guideline: Palliative Care Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement Fourth Edition November 2011
• National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care (2004). Clinical practice guidelines for quality palliative care.

Asthma

• Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR 3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (2007) 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2010) 

Chronic Pain

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Joint Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society (2007) 
• NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) Adult Cancer Pain Version 1.2012  

Chronic/Congestive Heart Failure

• 2009 Focused Update: ACCF/AHA Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure in Adults (2009) 

Coronary Artery Disease

• 2012 ACCF/AHA Focused Update of the Guideline for the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines 
• AHA/ACC Guidelines for Secondary Prevention for Patients with Coronary and Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: 2006 Update: Endorsed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 
• Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: 2007 Update 
• Aspirin for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease:  U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.  Annals of Internal Medicine (2009) 

Depression

• Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patient with Major Depressive Disorder 3rd Edition (2010) American Psychiatric Association 
• Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Depressive Disorders (2007) American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 

Diabetes

• Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in People with Diabetes Mellitus: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association (2007) 
• Introduction. Diabetes Care January 2012 
• Summary of Revisions to the 2012 Clinical Practice Recommendations From the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association (2007) 
• Executive Summary: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes – 2012 
• Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes - 2012 
• Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus 
• Diabetes and Driving 
• Diabetes and Employment 

Geriatrics

• AGS/BGS Clinical Practice Guideline: Prevention of Falls in Older Persons (2010) 
• AGS Clinical Practice Guideline: Pharmacological Management of Persistent Pain in Older Persons (2009) 
• AGS Clinical Practice Guideline: Diabetes Mellitus in Older Persons (2003)  
• The Beers List: Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults: Independent of Diagnoses or Conditions (2003) 

Hyperlipidemia

• Adult Treatment Program (ATP) III Full Report 2004 Update 
• Managing Abnormal Blood Lipids: A Collaborative Approach (2005) 

Hypertension

• The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) Full Report (2004) 
• Reference Card from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) (2003) 
• Dietary Approaches to Prevent and Treat Hypertension (2006) 

Metabolic Syndrome

• Diagnosis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome: An American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement 
• ACC/AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations: Revision 2006: A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee 
• ACC/AHA Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease: Pathophysiology, Evaluation, and Effect of Weight Loss: An Update of the 1997 Americian Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity and Heart Disease from the Obesity Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physicial Activity, and Metabolism 

Tobacco Cessation

• Helping Smokers Quit: A Guide for Clinicians 
• Counseling and Interventions to Prevent Tobacco Use and Tobacco-Caused Disease in Adults and Pregnant Women: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmatiion Recommendation Statement 

Weight Management

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 

revised 12/03/2012