Diabetic and Obese Patient Clinical Outcomes Improve During a Care Management Implementation in Primary Care

• Main Authors: Jodi Summers Holtrop (Author), Zhehui Luo (Author), Gretchen Piatt (Author), Lee A. Green (Author), Qiaoling Chen (Author), John Piette PhD (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: SAGE Publishing, 2017-10-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2150-1327; 10.1177/2150131917715536
• Keywords: Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; R858-859.7; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, Vol 8 (2017)

Background: To address the increasing burden of chronic disease, many primary care practices are turning to care management and the hiring of care managers to help patients coordinate their care and self-manage their conditions. Care management is often, but not always, proving effective at improving patient outcomes, but more evidence is needed. Methods: In this pair-matched cluster randomized trial, 5 practices implemented care management and were compared with 5 comparison practices within the same practice organization. Targeted patients included diabetic patients with a hemoglobin A1c >9% and nondiabetic obese patients. Clinical values tracked were A1c, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, microalbumin, and weight. Results: Clinically important improvements were demonstrated in the intervention versus comparison practices, with diabetic patients improving A1c control and obese patients experiencing weight loss. There was a 12% relative increase in the proportion of patients meeting the clinical target of A1c <7% (95% CI, 3%-20%), and 26% of obese nondiabetic patients in chronic care management practices lost 5% or more of their body weight as compared with 10% of comparison patients (adjusted relative improvement, 15%; CI, 2%-28%). Conclusions: These findings add to the growing evidence-base for the effectiveness of care management as an effective clinical practice with regard to improving diabetes- and obesity-related outcomes.