ABSTRACT
Robert Berenson and colleagues caution that the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) faces many challenges. Its successful adoption will depend on its being precisely defined and demonstration that it is cost saving and scalable across varied clinical settings. Until these issues are addressed in current and upcoming pilot programs, caution about the PCMH's role in the care of people with chronic illnesses is warranted.
Subject(s)
Patient-Centered Care , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Humans , Organizational Innovation , Patient-Centered Care/economics , Patient-Centered Care/methods , United StatesABSTRACT
Disease management, a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for chronically ill populations, relies on patient education and case management to engage individuals in the management of their condition. Disease management also aims to enhance the quality of interactions between doctors and patients and advance evidence-based medicine. Because these programs' interventions frequently include helping individuals who suffer comorbidities associated with obesity to reduce their BMI, adaptation of disease management to populations with obesity seems a viable option. A major barrier for implementing disease management for obesity, however, is the lack of proven return on investment, which limits health plan and disease management organization interest. Purchaser demand may overcome this reluctance. Further research is needed to objectively test whether disease management interventions would be clinically effective for obese populations, produce positive financial outcomes for insurers, and enhance workplace productivity.
