Health Affairs, 23, no. 6 (2004): 63-75 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.23.6.63 © 2004 by Project HOPE	New Online   House Health Reform Bill   Paying for Reform   Vetting AHIP's Report   HIV/AIDS Costs   Brief: Insurance Reform   HA Blog Top 10

This Article Full Text (HTML) Reprint (PDF) Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Archive Download to Citation Manager Reprints & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (49) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fireman, B. Articles by Selby, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fireman, B. Articles by Selby, J. Related Collections Health Reform Managed Care Managed Care - Quality Chronic Care Quality Of Care State/Local Issues Health Spending

Health Care Costs

Can Disease Management Reduce Health Care Costs By Improving Quality?

Disease management (DM) promises to achieve cost savings by improving the quality of care for chronic diseases. During the past decade the Permanente Medical Group in Northern California has implemented extensive DM programs. Examining quality indicators, utilization, and costs for 1996–2002 for adults with four conditions, we find evidence of substantial quality improvement but not cost savings. The causal pathway—from improved care to reduced morbidity to cost savings—has not produced sufficient savings to offset the rising costs of improved care. We conclude that the rationale for DM programs, like the rationale for any medical treatments, should rest on their effectiveness and value.

                      What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. N. Eggleston, N. D. Shah, S. A. Smith, A. E. Wagie, A. R. Williams, J. H. Grossman, E. R. Berndt, K. H. Long, R. Banerjee, and J. P. Newhouse The Net Value of Health Care for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, 1997 to 2005 Ann Intern Med, September 15, 2009; 151(6): 386 - 393. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. E. Chernew, M. R. Shah, A. Wegh, S. N. Rosenberg, I. A. Juster, A. B. Rosen, M. C. Sokol, K. Yu-Isenberg, and A. M. Fendrick Impact Of Decreasing Copayments On Medication Adherence Within A Disease Management Environment Health Aff., January 1, 2008; 27(1): 103 - 112. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. F. Riley Long-Term Trends In The Concentration Of Medicare Spending Health Aff., May 1, 2007; 26(3): 808 - 816. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Pearson, S. C. Inglis, S. N. McLennan, L. Brennan, M. Russell, D. Wilkinson, D. R. Thompson, and S. Stewart Prolonged effects of a home-based intervention in patients with chronic illness. Arch Intern Med, March 27, 2006; 166(6): 645 - 650. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Bodenheimer and A. Fernandez High and Rising Health Care Costs. Part 4: Can Costs Be Controlled While Preserving Quality? Ann Intern Med, July 5, 2005; 143(1): 26 - 31. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Davidoff, G. Kenney, and L. Dubay Effects of the State Children's Health Insurance Program Expansions on Children With Chronic Health Conditions Pediatrics, July 1, 2005; 116(1): e34 - e42. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Starfield Why is the grass greener? BMJ, March 26, 2005; 330(7493): 727 - 729. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. M. Davis Planning the Next Wave of SCHIP Research Pediatrics, February 1, 2005; 115(2): 492 - 494. [Full Text] [PDF]