Chronic conditions are the major cause of illness, disability, and death in the United States. They also have a considerable financial impact on the health care system.
The arrival of national health reform might offer opportunities for improving the way California’s health care system deals with chronic conditions.
Coordinated care and disease management can improve health outcomes as well as reduce costs for patients with multiple chronic conditions ranging from diabetes and heart disease to respiratory ailments and cancer. As state, federal and private programs and policies are reshaped by the Affordable Care Act, new opportunities to orchestrate coordinated care may present themselves.
We asked stakeholders: What should California policymakers, legislators, providers and insurers do to best take advantage of opportunities to improve the way we deal with chronic conditions?
We got responses from: