Roundtable Summary Explores Physician Views on Disease ManagementWASHINGTON, DC—Barriers to physician acceptance of disease management can be diminished or overcome through continuing education, enhanced use of health information technology, improved reporting and endorsement by peers. Those are among the many findings of a new Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) summary of a roundtable on physician perspectives on disease management, conducted at the 2005 DMAA Disease Management Leadership Forum, in San Diego. The roundtable, sponsored by Pfizer Health Solutions, identified various barriers to physician engagement in disease management, including lack of financial incentives and technology to aid physician-patient communication; a historical mistrust of services associated with managed care; and limited exposure to the population-based care model of disease management. Participants discussed the role of physicians in disease management and whether the focus of service delivery should be on the provider team—the "medical home"—or the patient home. Opinions were divided. Nurses directly engaged in disease management at practice sites seemed to favor a practice-based, integrated approach. Other panelists, however, emphasized the need to build programs around the patient home, where day-to-day disease management occurs. The roundtable, which consisted mostly of physicians, did find agreement on strategies to build physician acceptance, including demonstrating disease management's potential to ease physician workload and endorsement by peer champions. They also enthusiastically supported creation of a continuing education curriculum for providers. Other strategies discussed included greater use of information technology to facilitate physician-patient interaction; and standardized, consolidated reporting to lessen paperwork associated with disease management services. "The roundtable was invaluable in helping us understand physician viewpoints and what we can do to demonstrate disease management's value to physicians," said DMAA Treasurer Jaan Sidorov, MD, a roundtable participant. "Communication and education play a big part." DMAA President-Elect William Popik, MD, said disease management should set a goal of making itself "critical" to physicians. "We need to show physicians that disease management allows them to better utilize their professional time and reduce practice expenses," he said. # # # View the summary at: http://www.dmaa.org/pdf/DMAA_Physician_Roundtable.pdf About DMAA |
