ABSTRACT:The growing number of persons suffering from major chronic illnesses face many obstacles in coping with their condition, not least of which is medical care that often does not meet their needs for effective clinical management, psychological support, and information. The primary reason for this may be the mismatch between their needs and care delivery systems largely designed for acute illness. Evidence of effective system changes that improve chronic care is mounting. We have tried to summarize this evidence in the Chronic Care Model (CCM) to guide quality improvement. In this paper we describe the CCM, its use in intensive quality improvement activities with more than 100 health care organizations, and insights gained in the process.T he number of persons with chronic illness is growing at an astonishing rate because of the rapid aging of the population and the greater longevity of persons with many chronic conditions. Fortunately, the effectiveness of care of major chronic illnesses such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, depression, and diabetes has been enhanced by much recent progress in clinical and behavioral interventions. But many persons receiving care for these conditions are not reaping the benefits of these advances. For example, recent surveys suggest that fewer than half of U.S. patients with hypertension, depression, diabetes, and asthma are receiving appropriate treatment.Why is care for chronic conditions so deficient? A recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report attributes the quality gap to (1) the in-

Usual medical care often fails to meet the needs of chronically ill patients, even in managed, integrated delivery systems. The medical literature suggests strategies to improve outcomes in these patients. Effective interventions tend to fall into one of five areas: the use of evidence-based, planned care; reorganization of practice systems and provider roles; improved patient self-management support; increased access to expertise; and greater availability of clinical information. The challenge is to organize these components into an integrated system of chronic illness care. Whether this can be done most efficiently and effectively in primary care practice rather than requiring specialized systems of care remains unanswered.

This article reviews research evidence showing to what extent the chronic care model can improve the management of chronic conditions (using diabetes as an example) and reduce health care costs. Thirty-two of 39 studies found that interventions based on chronic care model components improved at least 1 process or outcome measure for diabetic patients. Regarding whether chronic care model interventions can reduce costs, 18 of 27 studies concerned with 3 examples of chronic conditions (congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes) demonstrated reduced health care costs or lower use of health care services. Even though the chronic care model has the potential to improve care and reduce costs, several obstacles hinder its widespread adoption.

The chronic care model is a guide to higher-quality chronic illness management within primary care. The model predicts that improvement in its 6 interrelated components-self-management support, clinical information systems, delivery system redesign, decision support, health care organization, and community resources-can produce system reform in which informed, activated patients interact with prepared, proactive practice teams. Case studies are provided describing how components of the chronic care model have been implemented in the primary care practices of 4 health care organizations.

Developed more than a decade ago, the Chronic Care Model (CCM) is a widely adopted approach to improving ambulatory care that has guided clinical quality initiatives in the United States and around the world. We examine the evidence of the CCM's effectiveness by reviewing articles published since 2000 that used one of five key CCM papers as a reference. Accumulated evidence appears to support the CCM as an integrated framework to guide practice redesign. Although work remains to be done in areas such as cost-effectiveness, these studies suggest that redesigning care using the CCM leads to improved patient care and better health outcomes.