Wagner's Chronic Care Model Research Articles

How is gout currently managed, and is there interest in changing the way we deliver care? A qualitative exploratory study.

This study aimed to understand how gout is currently managed in Australian primary care and to assess the level of interest in changing the delivery of care for gout. This pragmatic qualitative study was conducted among Australian general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists and adults living with gout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The key theme identified was that chronic gout has low priority compared to managing other conditions, and management is often responsive to patient action. Lack of confidence was expressed about medication regimens for multimorbidities. Regarding changing care delivery, there was widespread interest in enhancing pharmacists' role in providing medication reviews and guidance, but there were conflicting views between some pharmacists and GPs about clinical decisions and prescribing arrangements. Interpreting findings based on Wagner's chronic care model, it is apparent that there are multiple potential opportunities to change practice that might improve goutmanagement.

Model of Care for Chronic Brain Injury

There is growing evidence that long-term outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more dynamic than stable. People continue to change, both improving and declining, many years postinjury. Research, practice, and medical education have not yet fully embraced the implications of TBI as a chronic, dynamic condition. In 2020, the National Institute on Disability Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research funded the BeHEALTHY project to develop a model for long-term support of persons with chronic brain injury. Based on initial reviews of the available evidence and expert input from researchers, clinicians, and persons with lived experience, the BeHEALTHY model was proposed. Among existing chronic disease treatment models, Wagner's Chronic Care Model was selected as a starting point, with several critical refinements. The BeHEALTHY model endorses a person-centered approach, recognizing the individual with brain injury, and their social support system, as the primary source of goals in care planning. The model also acknowledges the critical importance of self-management and the need for health care programs to actively promote self-direction by the person using their social supports. The model also recognizes that outcomes are not determined solely by the person and the injury incurred but also by the environment in which a person lives and recovers. The importance of integrating health care with community resources is underscored by embracing environmental influences as a shared responsibility of the community and the health care system. This article recounts the impetus for developing the BeHEALTHY model and describes those it is intended to serve and its structural features and core components.

The Yale Roadmap for Health Psychology and Integrated Cardiovascular Care.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized nations. Many patients living with chronic cardiovascular disease suffer from complex multimorbidities requiring high-intensity care and behavioral risk factor management, and about a third copresent with a mental health disorder. These comanifestations are extremely taxing for patients and our health care system, complicate treatment, and increase the risk of adverse health outcomes. Health psychology emerged in response to a need for specialists who could design, deliver, and test evidence-based approaches to manage behavioral risk factors and the mental health burden of chronic diseases. We aimed to conduct a state-of-the-art review as to how health psychology emerged as a key specialty in delivering integrated care for cardiovascular populations, and to review challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of further integration of the specialty for integrated cardiovascular care. As our health care system embraces more patient-centered care and big data science to detect at-risk patients and predict outcomes, health psychologists should be at the forefront to apply their expertise and demonstrate their value in designing and applying intervention models to improve outcomes. We first review challenges, then illustrate this framework using the Wagner chronic care model, present business case considerations, and conclude with an action agenda to promote the integration of health psychology as a cotreating specialty into cardiovascular care. To provide direction for this undertaking, we present a roadmap for the field of health psychology to sustainably extend existing holistic, integrated approaches in cardiovascular care. To lessen the burden and improve outcomes in cardiovascular disease, care must shift away from siloed delivery models that are focused on traditional atherosclerotic risk factors to holistic, integrated approaches that address biological, psychological, social, and behavioral factors relevant to cardiovascular disease. Using the presented roadmap, health psychology can play a major role to address these needs of integrated cardiovascular care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Conceptualization of the Chronic Care Model: Implications for Home Care Case Manager Practice.

One of the greatest challenges for healthcare systems is the management and prevention of chronic diseases. Wagner's Chronic Care Model aims to transform the daily care of patients with chronic illnesses from acute and reactive to proactive, planned, and population-based. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the available research relating to the Chronic Care Model and consider the implications for Home Care Case Management practice. A total of 18 research studies (5 qualitative and 13 quantitative) were reviewed. A thematic content analysis approach was used. The findings included three themes: Chronic Care Model and positive chronic illness health behaviors and outcomes; Chronic Care Model and delivery of quality chronic illness care; and the importance of the supportive role of the home care nurse in the role of Home Care Case Management. Gaps and limitations of the Chronic Care Model in relation to Home Care Case Management were identified and discussed in relationship to partnership building and reciprocal trust between patients, family caregivers, and the Home Care Case Manager. Finally, implications for the use of the Chronic Care Model in Home Care Case Manager practice, policy development, and future research were presented.

Chronic Care Management Services for Complex Diabetes Management: a Practical Overview.

Formalized chronic care management has the potential to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of complex diabetes management in adults, but has historically not been sustainably supported by health care systems. This review discusses the application of the chronic care model in the care of complex diabetes and its translation in the current reimbursement structure designed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Following the introduction of Wagner's Chronic Care Model (CCM) in the late 1990s, evidence gathered over the past 2 decades has supported the shift in focus of health care systems from acute to chronic disease management and proactive care. Acknowledging evidence and potential for improved cost-effectiveness, in 2015, Medicare began reimbursing for chronic care management services (CCMS) for patients with multiple chronic conditions. The CCMS billing codes allow a program to be reimbursed for up to 90min per month spent by clinical staff performing interim care within a comprehensive care plan. Recent data from local and global programs support the application of formalized CCM in diabetes management. Although reimbursement models for CCM have been designed for use in primary care, the challenges of the reimbursement model has opened the door for specialty areas focused on multimorbidity care such as diabetes care to explore this approach. With the broader availability of remote glucose monitoring and telemedicine, a strategy that combines goal-oriented care and telehealth solutions appears to be most effective in diabetes CCM care. Despite widespread acceptance of the chronic care model of care, there remain significant barriers to its incorporation into standard practice.

How Views of the Organization of Primary Care Among Patients with Hypertension Vary by Race or Ethnicity.

We assessed potential racial or ethnic differences in the degree to which veterans with pharmaceutically treated hypertension report experiences with their primary care system that are consistent with optimal chronic illness care as suggested by Wagner's Chronic Care Model (CCM). A cross-sectional analysis of the results of the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC), which measured components of the care system suggested by the CCM and was completed at baseline by participants in a hypertension disease management clinical trial. Participants had a recent history of uncontrolled systolic blood pressure. Among 377 patients, non-Hispanic African American veterans had almost twice the odds of indicating that their primary care experience is consistent with CCM features when compared with non-Hispanic White patients (odds ratio (OR) = 1.86; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16-2.98). Similar statistically significant associations were observed for follow-up care (OR = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.49-4.50), patient activation (OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.13-2.87), goal setting (OR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.03-2.64), and help with problem solving (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.00-2.60). Non-Hispanic African Americans with pharmaceutically treated hypertension report that the primary care system more closely approximates the Wagner CCM than non-Hispanic White patients.

Training health care professionals for 21st-century practice: a systematic review of educational interventions on chronic care.

To systematically review the evidence for high-quality and effective educational strategies to train health care professionals across the education continuum on chronic disease care. A search of English-language publications and conference proceedings was performed in November 2013 and updated in April 2014. Studies that evaluated a newly developed curriculum targeting chronic disease care with learner outcomes were included. Two primary reviewers and one adjudicating reviewer evaluated the studies and assessed their quality using the validated Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). Studies were also mapped onto elements of Wagner's chronic care model (CCM) to evaluate their use of established evidence-based models for chronic care delivery. Miller's classification of clinical competence was used to assess the quality of learner achievements for each educational intervention. A total of 672 articles were found for this review. Twenty-two met criteria for data extraction. The majority of studies were of moderate quality according to MERSQI scoring. Only three studies reported both learner and patient outcomes. The highest-quality studies incorporated more elements of Wagner's CCM and showed high-level learner competence according to Miller's classification. Successful interventions redesigned health care delivery systems to include team-based care, emphasized training of health care professionals on patient self-management, and included learner-based quality improvement initiatives. The growing number of children and adults with chronic disease necessitates improved educational interventions for health care professionals that involve evidence-based models for restructuring chronic care delivery, aim for high-level learner behavioral outcomes, and evolve through quality improvement initiatives.

Measured outcomes of chronic care programs for older adults: a systematic review.

BackgroundWagner’s Chronic Care Model (CCM), as well as the expanded version (ECCM) developed by Barr and colleagues, have been widely adopted as frameworks for prevention and management of chronic disease. Given the high prevalence of chronic illness in older persons, these frameworks can play a valuable role in reorienting the health care system to better serve the needs of seniors. We aimed to identify and assess the measured goals of E/CCM interventions in older populations. In particular, our objective was to determine the extent to which published E/CCM initiatives were evaluated based on population, community, system and individual-level outcomes (including clinical, functional and quality of life measures).MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the Science Citation Index Web of Knowledge search tool to gather articles published between January 2003 and July 2014. We included published CCM interventions that cited at least one of the fundamental papers that introduced and described the CCM and ECCM. Studies retained for review reported evaluations of senior-focused E/CCM initiatives in community-based settings, with the topic of “older adults” OR senior* OR elder* OR geriatric OR aged. The resulting 619 published articles were independently reviewed for inclusion by two researchers. We excluded the following: systematic reviews, meta-analyses, descriptions of proposed programs, and studies whose populations did not focus on seniors.ResultsWe identified 14 articles that met inclusion criteria. Studies used a wide range of measures, with little consensus between studies. All of the included studies used the original CCM. While a range of system-level and individual patient outcomes have been used to evaluate CCM interventions, no studies employed measures of population or community health outcomes.ConclusionsFuture efforts to test E/CCM interventions with seniors would be aided by more consistent outcome measures, greater attention to outcomes for the caregivers of older persons with chronic illness, and a greater focus on population and community impacts.

A comprehensive grid to evaluate case management’s expected effectiveness for community-dwelling frail older people: results from a multiple, embedded case study

BackgroundCase management is a type of intervention expected to improve the quality of care and therefore the quality of life of frail, community-dwelling older people while delaying institutionalisation in nursing homes. However, the heterogeneity, multidimensionality and complexity of these interventions make their evaluation by the means of classical approaches inadequate. Our objective was twofold: (i) to propose a tool allowing for the identification of the key components that explain the success of case management for this population and (ii) to propose a typology based on the results of this tool.MethodsThe process started with a multiple embedded case study design in order to identify the key components of case management. Based on the results of this first step, data were collected among 22 case management interventions, in order to evaluate their expected effectiveness. Finally, multiple correspondence analyses was conducted to propose a typology of case management. The overall approach was informed by Wagner’s Chronic Care Model and the theory of complexity.ResultsThe study identified a total of 23 interacting key components. Based on the clustering of response patterns of the 22 case management projects included in our study, three types of case management programmes were evidenced, situated on a continuum from a more “socially-oriented” type towards a more “clinically-oriented” type of case management. The type of feedback provided to the general practitioner about both the global geriatric assessment and the result of the intervention turned out to be the most discriminant component between the types.ConclusionThe study design allowed to produce a tool that can be used to distinguish between different types of case management interventions and further evaluate their effect on frail older people in terms of the delaying institutionalisation, functional and cognitive status, quality of life and societal costs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-015-0069-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Setting Up a Medical Home for Chinese Immigrant Families with Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Step-Wise Approach

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) require health services beyond what generally is required. CSHCN from immigrant families face additional challenges, including cultural, language, racial, and socioeconomic barriers. Federally qualified health centers provide an ideal setting to treat these children, providing comprehensive, family-centered care that fits their linguistic and cultural needs. This article describes the development of a National Committee for Quality Assurance level 3 medical home, addressing cultural perspectives and barriers to quality care for the Chinese immigrant community by highlighting Edward Wagner's Chronic Care Model, medical home criteria, electronic health records, parent engagement, staff development, and community collaboration.

What determines inclusion in the early phase of the type 2 diabetes care trajectory in Belgium?

BackgroundIn 2009, the Belgian National Institute of Health and Disability Insurance established a care trajectory (CT) for a subgroup of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (T2DM) based on Wagner’s chronic care model. The goal of this CT is to optimise the quality of care using an integrated multidisciplinary approach. This study aims to identify patient-related factors associated with inclusion in a CT and to determine the most frequent reasons for non-inclusion.MethodsIn 2010, the Belgian Sentinel Network of General Practices conducted a prevalence study of type 2 diabetes. The surveillance study carried out by this nationwide, representative network collected unique information about eligibility for the CT, inclusion in the CT and reasons for non-inclusion.Based on the official inclusion and exclusion criteria, we first identified a group of eligible patients. Within this group, we then calculated the proportion of patients included in a CT as well as the prevalence of reasons for non-inclusion as reported by GPs. Furthermore, bivariate associations between patient-level parameters and inclusion were analysed. Finally, any patient-level parameters found to be statistically significant were included in a multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsThe 2010 study recorded 4600 Belgian type 2 diabetes patients. According to the official criteria, 589 patients were eligible for inclusion in a CT T2DM. By the end of August 2011, 95 patients had been included in a CT T2DM.Our findings reveal that the younger the eligible patient was, the more likely he or she was to be included in a CT. Patients living in Flanders were more likely to be included in the CT than were patients living in Wallonia. Motivated patients with specific plans to change their diets were also more likely to be included in a CT.The two most frequently reported reasons for non-inclusion were participation in another diabetes care programme and the timing of this surveillance study (inclusion will take place in the near future).ConclusionsEligible diabetes patients who were admitted to a CT T2DM during the early phases of CT implementation were mainly found to be those who are able to make progress in their disease trajectories. In the future, more attention could be paid to also include more high-risk patients.

Exploring the interactional sphere of a systemic self-management intervention for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face challenges in managing the physical and psychological consequences of the condition. Systemic self-management interventions based on the Wagner chronic care model seek to facilitate change in patient, healthcare professional (HCP) and healthcare system in order to support patients to self-manage their condition. Few studies have investigated the interactional sphere between patients and HCPs in the context of a systemic self-management intervention. The aim of the present study was to evaluate such an intervention and explore the discursive implications for self-management in COPD. Data were collected via interviews with patients and HCPs, observations of patient-provider interaction and document analysis of documents given to the patients to support self-management. An illustrative analytical model was developed on the basis of Willig’s discourse analysis guidelines. The findings suggested two different ways of talking about self-management – biomedical and patient-centred – that seemed to have implications for what speakers drawing on these discursive repertoires could say, do and experience in relation to self-management support and practice. Whilst the analytical method does not pass judgement on which discourse is ‘best’, results of this study show how the two identified discourses are oriented to different actions and positions, and highlight their relative strengths and limitations. The findings of the present study are relevant to the issue of how the ‘healthcare institution’, and evidence-based medicine as we know it, should be manifested – empirically and practically – in the future.

Case management for at-risk elderly patients in the English integrated care pilots: observational study of staff and patient experience and secondary care utilisation.

In 2009, the English Department of Health appointed 16 integrated care pilots which aimed to provide better integrated care. We report the quantitative results from a multi-method evaluation of six of the demonstration projects which used risk profiling tools to identify older people at risk of emergency hospital admission, combined with intensive case management for people identified as at risk. The interventions focused mainly on delivery system redesign and improved clinical information systems, two key elements of Wagner's Chronic Care Model. Questionnaires to staff and patients. Difference-in-differences analysis of secondary care utilisation using data on 3646 patients and 17,311 matched controls, and changes in overall secondary care utilisation. Most staff thought that care for their patients had improved. More patients reported having a care plan but they found it significantly harder to see a doctor or nurse of their choice and felt less involved in decisions about their care. Case management interventions were associated with a 9% increase in emergency admissions. We found some evidence of imbalance between cases and controls which could have biased this estimate, but simulations of the possible effect of unobserved confounders showed that it was very unlikely that the sites achieved their goal of reducing emergency admissions. However, we found significant reductions of 21% and 22% in elective admissions and outpatient attendance in the six months following an intervention, and overall inpatient and outpatient costs were significantly reduced by 9% during this period. Area level analyses of whole practice populations suggested that overall outpatient attendances were significantly reduced by 5% two years after the start of the case management schemes. Case management may result in improvements in some aspects of care and has the potential to reduce secondary care costs. However, to improve patient experience, case management approaches need to be introduced in a way which respects patients' wishes, for example the ability to see a familiar doctor or nurse.

Needs and barriers to improve the collaboration in oral anticoagulant therapy: a qualitative study

BackgroundOral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) involves many health care disciplines. Even though collaboration between care professionals is assumed to improve the quality of OAT, very little research has been done into the practice of OAT management to arrange and manage the collaboration. This study aims to identify the problems in collaboration experienced by the care professionals involved, the solutions they proposed to improve collaboration, and the barriers they encountered to the implementation of these solutions.MethodsIn the Netherlands, intensive follow-up of OAT is provided by specialized anticoagulant clinics (ACs). Sixty-eight semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 103 professionals working at an AC. These semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively. Wagner's chronic care model (CCM) and Cabana's framework for improvement were used to categorize the results.ResultsAC professionals experienced three main bottlenecks in collaboration: lack of knowledge (mostly of other professionals), lack of consensus on OAT, and limited information exchange between professionals. They mentioned several solutions to improve collaboration, especially solutions of CCM's decision support component (i.e. education, regular meetings, and agreements and protocols). Education is considered a prerequisite for the successful implementation of other proposed solutions such as developing a multidisciplinary protocol and changing the allocation of tasks. The potential of the health care organization to improve collaboration seemed to be underestimated by professionals. They experienced several barriers to the successful implementation of the proposed solutions. Most important barriers were the lack motivation of non-AC professionals and lack of time to establish collaboration.ConclusionsThis study revealed that the collaboration in OAT is limited by a lack of knowledge, a lack of consensus, and a limited information exchange. Education was identified as the best way to improve collaboration and considered a prerequisite for a successful implementation of other proposed solutions. Hence, the implementation sequence is of importance in order to improve the collaboration successfully. First step is to establish alignment regarding collaboration with all involved professionals to encounter the lack of motivation of non-AC professionals and lack of time.

The Promoting Effective Advance Care for Elders (PEACE) Randomized Pilot Study: Theoretical Framework and Study Design

Practice guidelines are available for hospice and palliative medicine specialists and geriatricians. However, these guidelines do not adequately address the needs of patients who straddle the 2 specialties: homebound chronically ill patients. The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical basis for the Promoting Effective Advance Care for Elders (PEACE) randomized pilot study. PEACE is an ongoing 2-group randomized pilot study (n=80) to test an in-home interdisciplinary care management intervention that combines palliative care approaches to symptom management, psychosocial and emotional support, and advance care planning with geriatric medicine approaches to optimizing function and addressing polypharmacy. The population comprises new enrollees into PASSPORT, Ohio's community-based, long-term care Medicaid waiver program. All PASSPORT enrollees have geriatric/palliative care crossover needs because they are nursing home eligible. The intervention is based on Wagner's Chronic Care Model and includes comprehensive interdisciplinary care management for these low-income frail elders with chronic illnesses, uses evidence-based protocols, emphasizes patient activation, and integrates with community-based long-term care and other community agencies. Our model, with its standardized, evidence-based medical and psychosocial intervention protocols, will transport easily to other sites that are interested in optimizing outcomes for community-based, chronically ill older adults.

Pay-for-performance in disease management: a systematic review of the literature

BackgroundPay-for-performance (P4P) is increasingly implemented in the healthcare system to encourage improvements in healthcare quality. P4P is a payment model that rewards healthcare providers for meeting pre-established targets for delivery of healthcare services by financial incentives. Based on their performance, healthcare providers receive either additional or reduced payment. Currently, little is known about P4P schemes intending to improve delivery of chronic care through disease management. The objectives of this paper are therefore to provide an overview of P4P schemes used to stimulate delivery of chronic care through disease management and to provide insight into their effects on healthcare quality and costs.MethodsA systematic PubMed search was performed for English language papers published between 2000 and 2010 describing P4P schemes related to the implementation of disease management. Wagner's chronic care model was used to make disease management operational.ResultsEight P4P schemes were identified, introduced in the USA (n = 6), Germany (n = 1), and Australia (n = 1). Five P4P schemes were part of a larger scheme of interventions to improve quality of care, whereas three P4P schemes were solely implemented. Most financial incentives were rewards, selective, and granted on the basis of absolute performance. More variation was found in incented entities and the basis for providing incentives. Information about motivation, certainty, size, frequency, and duration of the financial incentives was generally limited. Five studies were identified that evaluated the effects of P4P on healthcare quality. Most studies showed positive effects of P4P on healthcare quality. No studies were found that evaluated the effects of P4P on healthcare costs.ConclusionThe number of P4P schemes to encourage disease management is limited. Hardly any information is available about the effects of such schemes on healthcare quality and costs.

The After Discharge Care Management of Low Income Frail Elderly (AD-LIFE) Randomized Trial: Theoretical Framework and Study Design

Interdisciplinary care management is advocated for optimal care of patients with many types of chronic illnesses; however, few models exist that have been tested using randomized trials. The purpose of this report is to describe the theoretical basis for the After Discharge Management of Low Income Frail Elderly (AD-LIFE) trial, which is an ongoing 2-group randomized trial (total n = 530) to test a chronic illness management and transitional care intervention. The intervention is based on Wagner's chronic illness care model and involves comprehensive posthospitalization nurse-led interdisciplinary care management for low income frail elders with chronic illnesses, employs evidence-based protocols that were developed using the Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) guidelines, emphasizes patient activation, and integrates with community-based long-term care and other community agencies. The primary aim of the AD-LIFE trial is to test a chronic illness management intervention in vulnerable patients who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. This model, with its standardized, evidence-based medical and psychosocial intervention protocols, will be easily transportable to other sites interested in optimizing outcomes for chronically ill older adults. If the results of the AD-LIFE trial demonstrate the superiority of the intervention, then this data will be important for health care policy makers.

Health Care Reform and Care at the Behavioral Health--Primary Care Interface

Health Care Reform and Care at the Behavioral Health--Primary Care Interface

Moving Medical Advances from Prototype into Practice

Improving health care outcomes is difficult, and we have known for many years that successful efforts are more likely to involve a blend of approaches rather than a single “silver bullet.”1 Over the past 15 years, dozens of published trials have supported use of the multipronged “collaborative care” model as an effective strategy for improving treatment outcomes for depression2–4 as well as for a variety of other chronic medical conditions.5 Based on the Wagner Chronic Care Model, collaborative care involves active follow-up by a non-physician allied health professional “care manager” who supports patients with the time and frequency of contacts necessary to educate them about their illness and evidence-based treatment options; involves primary care physicians as active participants in their patients’ care; and proactively monitors patients’ response to therapy and suggests adjustments in care when indicated. Yet despite the proven efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this approach, collaborative care strategies have yet to be implemented widely into routine practice beyond a few large integrated health care delivery organizations.6 This lack of implementation may be due to factors ranging from the complexity, effort, and costs associated with the change (e.g., electronic medical records); reluctance by health plans to pay for new treatments and modalities of care delivery (e.g., telehealth); development of novel treatments in isolation from the real world of patient care and attention towards financial profits and losses (e.g., unbillable care manager time); lack of demand for services, particularly by patients who may be stigmatized by their condition (depression); and investigator lack of follow-through or skill with the science of implementation.7

Increasing the Involvement of Specialist Physicians in Chronic Disease Management

The Capital Health (CH) region in Alberta serves the population of the Edmonton area as well as a large referral population in western Canada. CH is responsible for the delivery of the spectrum of patient care, from inpatient to outpatient services. Growth in outpatient care, in particular, has led to the development of several ambulatory care facilities from which the delivery of care to several populations with a chronic disease will be coordinated. The traditional model of care delivery is unsuited to the management of chronic diseases. Physicians must be part of the planning and implementation of new models if they are to be successful and sustainable. The concept of integration into a delivery team is not well understood or practised. This is not conducive to the integration of specialist physicians into multidisciplinary teams in ambulatory care that serves the needs of patients from a large geographic area. Chronic disease management using the Chronic Care Model has proven to be an effective method of delivering care to this wide population. Specialist physicians have not always taken advantage of opportunities to be involved in the planning and development of such new health care projects. In CH, physician integration in the planning, development and implementation of this new model has proven vital to its success. We based our strategy for change on Wagner's Chronic Care Model. This involved eight steps, the first four of which have been completed and the fifth and sixth are underway. Five factors contributed to the successful integration of specialist physicians in chronic disease management: collaboration between disciplines and organizations; creating patient-centred services; organizational commitments; strong clinical leadership; and early involvement of clinicians.