The Ambulatist: A Health Care Professional Specializing in Lifestyle Medicine for Chronic Disease Care Coordination

Abstract

Chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity pose a significant burden on the US health care system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 70% of American deaths are a direct result of chronic diseases. Recently, discussions about care coordination in the health care system have been more frequent. However, there is still much to learn about providing effective health care coordination. A new model for care coordination is being developed and is focused on lifestyle medicine through the use of an ambulatist. An ambulatist is a health care provider who specializes in the prevention, management, and care coordination of ambulatory patients with chronic diseases by using lifestyle medicine and drug therapy. This article discusses how an ambulatist is being used in one chronic disease management program and the applicability for use in other settings. © 2010, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.