The Article in Brief

Use of Chronic Care Model Elements is Associated With Higher Quality Care for Diabetes

Paul A. Nutting, MD, MSPH , and colleagues

Background The Chronic Care Model is a comprehensive approach to caring for people with chronic diseases. This report explores whether there is a relationship between certain elements of the Chronic Care Model and the care of diabetes patients. The study included 90 clinicians (doctors, nurse-practitioners, and physician's assistants) and 886 patients.

What This Study Found Clinicians’ use of certain elements of the chronic care model, such as systems of tracking and following up with diabetes patients, was related to lower hemoglobin A1c (a measure of overall diabetes control) and lower cholesterol levels in diabetes patients, two indicators of good diabetes management.

Implications

• There is growing evidence that elements of the Chronic Care Model improve the care of patients with chronic disease in primary care settings.
• Clinicians in small, independent primary care practices are able to incorporate aspects of the Chronic Care Model into their practice style, often without making major changes in their practice, and this is related to higher levels of diabetes care and better health of diabetes patients.
• Small primary care practices might consider more ambitious efforts to change the ways in which they care for patients with chronic illnesses.