We conducted a randomized controlled trial at
two Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers involving
246 veterans with diabetes and baseline hemoglobin A1C
(HbA1C) levels 7.5%. Two nurse practitioner case managers
worked with patients and their primary care providers, monitoring
and coordinating care for the intervention group for 18
months through the use of telephone contacts, collaborative
goal setting, and treatment algorithms. Control patients received
educational materials and usual care from their primary
care providers.
RESULTS: At the conclusion of the study, both case management
and control patients remained under poor glycemic control
and there was little difference between groups in mean exit
HbA1C level (9.3% vs. 9.2%; difference 0.1%; 95% confidence
interval: 0.4% to 0.7%; P 0.65). There was also no evidence
that the intervention resulted in improvements in low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol level or blood pressure control or
greater intensification in medication therapy. However, intervention
patients were substantially more satisfied with their diabetes
care, with 82% rating their providers as better than average
compared with 64% of patients in the control group (P
0.04).
CONCLUSION: An intervention of collaborative case management
did not improve key physiologic outcomes for highrisk
patients with type 2 diabetes. The type of patients targeted
for intervention, organizational factors, and program structure
are likely critical determinants of the effectiveness of case management.
Health systems must understand the potential limitations
before expending substantial resources on case management,
as the expected improvements in outcomes and
downstream cost savings may not always be realized. Am