Chronic Care Initiatives for the Elderly: Can They Bridge the Gerontology-Medicine Gap?

The authors describe initiatives designed to meet the chronic health needs of the elderly. These programs include demonstration programs such as Program of All-Inclusive Care for Elderly, Social Health Maintenance Organization, and state programs for Medicare-Medicaid-eligible elders that focus on integrating medical care with home and community-based services, disease- or disability-focused care management/coordination initiatives, and recent population-based disease management programs focused on improving adherence to evidence-based protocols, self-care management, and the use of innovative practices such as group visits to improve health outcomes. These initiatives have the potential to improve outcomes and reduce costs, but also highlight tensions between medical model disease management and functionally oriented home and community service programs. The authors suggest that optimal chronic care for elders would require the integration of advances in medically oriented disease management with the best of home and community-based service programs. Medicare policy should promote such integration.