This paper explores ways that primary care organizations are making self-management support a routine function of clinical care for patients with chronic illness. Effective self-management support includes giving patients information, teaching disease-specific skills, negotiating healthy behavior change, providing training in problem-solving skills, assisting with the emotional impact of having a chronic condition, providing regular and sustained follow-up, and encouraging active participation in managing the disease.

Many early adopters of self-management support provided input for this paper, and the experiences of several are described in detail. The case studies include:

• UNITE Health Center in New York City, a medical assistant model
• Project Dulce in San Diego, a community health worker (promotora) model
• Mercy Clinics in Des Moines, Iowa, an RN model
• CareSouth Carolina, a culture change model

Additional case studies focus on telephone-based models of self-management support as well as behavioral health models.

The business case for self-management support is discussed in detail.

The complete report is available as a Document Download.