Article Figures & Data
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Characteristic Integrated Nonintegrated Ownership Not-for-profit managed care organizations For-profit commercial vendors Locus Institutional-based Outsourced Linkage to primary care physicians Strong Weak to none Patient participation System-based for all Optional Program horizon Long-term Short-term Motivation Quality-oriented Profit-oriented
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The Article in Brief
Disease Management: Panacea, Another False Hope, or Something in Between?
John P. Geyman, MD
In the United States 125 million Americans have one or more chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure. Health care organizations use disease management programs to help patients manage these conditions. There are two major types of disease management programs. One type, used by some managed care organizations, involves the patient�s primary care doctor, who looks at the patient�s total health care needs, and uses such tools as electronic disease registries, consultations with disease experts, and patient education on how to manage the condition. The second type of program is sold commercially and intended to help health care organizations reduce costs. Commercial programs focus on providing patient education and helping patients manage their conditions through telephone calls, mailings, and the Internet, with little interaction with the patient�s primary care doctor. The first type of program, based on primary care, has shown promise in improving quality of care, but may not save costs. The second type of program, which is commercial and for-profit, has not yet proved to save money or improve care of chronic illness over time.
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