California HealthCare Foundation Report

Posted on | December 11, 2009 | Comments Off on California HealthCare Foundation Report

Patient Self-Management

Participatory Health: Online and Mobile Tools Help Chronically Ill Manage Their Care

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, THINK-Health

September 2009

Of the $2.2 trillion in total U.S. health care spending in 2007, 75% ($1.7 trillion) went to care for patients with chronic conditions. Despite this staggering expenditure, there are pervasive problems with the quality of chronic disease care.

Chronic disease is most effectively managed through frequent, near continuous monitoring. Yet many patients spend only a few minutes a year with their clinicians. According to the National Council on Aging, a third of all chronically ill people say they leave a doctor’s office or hospital feeling confused about what they should do to manage their disease, and 57% report that their providers have not asked whether they have anyone to help implement a care plan at home. New technology tools are emerging to bridge these gaps. This report describes some of the online and mobile platforms and applications that can assist patients in managing their health care — not only at home, but almost anywhere else outside their clinician’s office. Sources include extensive interviews with stakeholders in the field, whose experiences and views are presented throughout the report.

The complete report is available under Document Downloads below.

Document Downloads

Participatory Health: Online and Mobile Tools Help Chronically Ill Manage Their Care (821K)