Innovative healthcare for chronically ill older persons: results of a national survey.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the origin, scope, operations, funding, and outcomes of innovative healthcare programs for chronically ill older persons. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: A national expert panel nominated chronic illness programs they believed to be innovative and field tested. The directors of the 31 eligible programs provided descriptive information in 60-minute semistructured telephone interviews. RESULTS: The innovative programs we surveyed tended to target their services to high-risk patients, use teams of providers to deliver care, designate providers to coordinate multiple components of complex care plans, and shift care from higher- to lower-cost environments and/or redesign the delivery of primary care. CONCLUSIONS: Recent innovations in healthcare programs hold considerable promise for improving the outcomes of chronic care, but most have yet to be rigorously evaluated.