The chronic care model and the transformation of primary care

Abstract

To address inadequacies in the management of chronic illness, the chronic care model (CCM) was developed to transform primary care practices so that they could initiate and sustain improvement in chronic care. The CCM consists of six components-community resources, health system policies, decision support, delivery system design, clinical information systems, and self-management support. This chapter describes these components and summarizes evidence supporting their efficacy. The chapter then proposes a broader model-the 10 Building Blocks of High-Performing Primary Care-that helps primary care practices make the changes necessary to implement the CCM components.