Effectiveness of Community-based Case Management for Patients with Hypertension

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of case management for patients with hypertension on their health status and medical service utilization. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data collected for a larger study of chronic disease management in 2008 using the National Health Insurance Corporation database. A total of 12,944 patients who received case management for hypertension were included in this analysis. The subjects of case management were classified into subgroups, namely, over-use, under-use, and non-use groups according to the amount of medical service utilization. To compare the medical service utilization, a control group was selected randomly. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, McNemar test, and ANOVA. RESULTS: All the subgroups displayed significant differences in blood pressure, self-management, social support, and their characteristics of medical service utilization. The total medical expense of the under-use and non-use groups increased after case management. However, there was no decrease in the medical expense of the over-use group. CONCLUSION: This finding suggests that there is a need to re-examine why patients overuse medical services and to supplement specific strategies for encouraging appropriate medical service utilization, and enhancing case management efforts for the over-use group.