Disease Management: An Important Piece of the Puzzle Lives On

An important supplement to Population Health Management is now available on line. Even better, it's all open access.

Much of the issue is devoted to the good, the bad and the ugly of the hapless Medicare Health Support program. It's good, because long-term follow-up may show evidence of a return on the government's investment in remote telephonic coaching for chronic illness, bad because modern versions of remote and targeted telephonic coaching continue to be dismissed by policymakers, academics and researchers alike, and ugly because CMS' aptitude as a research partner in MHS was sorely lacking

The Disease Management Care Blog immodestly suggests a good summary of both the supplement contents as well as the policy issues can be found here. Basically, the DMCB argues continued industry innovation, ongoing translational research and a more sophisticated understanding of the role of "disease management" has made the traditional interpretation of MHS moot. Remote telephonic coaching has since evolved to become one piece of the puzzle in caring for populations with chronic conditions.

Disease management: both the term and the concept warrant its inclusion as a viable option for the care of populations by providers, insurers, buyers and governments.