Disease Management

Disease Management is a system of coordinated healthcare interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant. Disease management empowers individuals, working with other healthcare providers to manage their disease and prevent complications.

Definition

Disease management is defined as "a system of coordinated healthcare interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant." Disease management programs can reduce healthcare costs associated with avoidable complications, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and specialty referrals.

Components

Disease management programs typically include the following components:

• Population identification processes
• Evidence-based practice guidelines
• Collaborative practice models including physician and support-service providers
• Patient self-management education (may include primary prevention, behavior modification programs, and compliance/surveillance)
• Process and outcomes measurement, evaluation, and management
• Routine reporting/feedback loop (may include communication with patient, physician, health plan and ancillary providers, and practice profiling)

Benefits

Disease management has the potential to improve the health of individuals with chronic conditions and reduce associated costs from avoidable complications by identifying and treating chronic conditions more quickly and more effectively, thus slowing the progression of those diseases.

See also

• Healthcare Quality
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Improvement

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