This roundtable discussion, held in December 2003, was convened to discuss the impact of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure's (JNC 7) challenging blood pressure goal objectives for the clinical management of hypertensive patients. The discussion was moderated by Michael Weber, MD, of the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine in New York City. Participants included leading experts in the field Joseph Izzo, Jr., MD, of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo; Suzanne Oparil, MD, of the Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Jan Basile, MD, of the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Department of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The primary intention of this roundtable is to educate physicians about the importance of achieving the blood pressure goals agreed upon by the JNC 7 Committee and to present practical ways for the attainment of such goals in clinical practice.