Title

The effectiveness of heart failure disease management: Initial findings from a comprehensive program

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

December 2002

Comments

This article was published in Disease Management, December 2002, Vol. 5, No. 4: 215-223. (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10935070260474985). Deposited by permission; copyright retained by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Abstract

A prevalent, chronic condition among members of the mushrooming elderly population in the United States, heart failure (HF) is a logical focus for population-based disease management. Evidence supporting the premise that multidisciplinary interventions can significantly improve clinical outcomes while decreasing the cost of medical care for people with HF is steadily mounting. A growing number of controlled and observational studies focus on the effects of HF disease management on re-admission rates, length of stay, and improvement in appropriate diagnostic testing and prescribing. This paper describes a large-scale, comprehensive HF program and reports on clinical quality, utilization, and financial outcomes observed after 1 year. The preliminary findings strengthen the case for comprehensive HF disease management as an effective means for improving clinical outcomes and reducing total medical costs for large patient populations.

Clarke, Janice L. and Nash, David B., "The effectiveness of heart failure disease management: Initial findings from a comprehensive program" (2002). School of Population Health Faculty Papers. Paper 7.
http://jdc.jefferson.edu/healthpolicyfaculty/7