Roundtable Summary Explores Physician Views On Disease Management

May 17, 2006

Barriers to physician acceptance of disease management can be

diminished or overcome through continuing education, enhanced use of

health information technology, improved reporting and the 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 Popik, MD, said disease management

should set a goal of making itself " critical " to physicians. " We need

to show physicians that disease managementallows them to better

utilize their professional time and reduce practice expenses, " he

said.

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