Background: Many patients with chronic disease do not reach goals for management of their conditions.
Self-management support provided by medical assistant health coaches within the clinical setting may help to
improve clinical outcomes, but most studies to date lack statistical power or methodological rigor. Barriers to large
scale implementation of the medical assistant coach model include lack of clinician buy-in and the absence of a
business model that will make medical assistant health coaching sustainable. This study will add to the evidence
base by determining the effectiveness of health coaching by medical assistants on clinical outcomes and patient
self-management, by assessing the impact of health coaching on the clinician experience, and by examining the
costs and potential savings of health coaching.
Methods/Design: This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of clinic-based medical assistant
health coaches to improve clinical outcomes and self-management skills among low-income patients with
uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia. A total of 441 patients from two San Francisco
primary care clinics have been enrolled and randomized to receive a health coach (n = 224) or usual care (n = 217).
Patients participating in the health coaching group will receive coaching for 12 months from medical assistants
trained as health coaches. The primary outcome is a change in hemoglobin A1c, systolic blood pressure, or LDL
cholesterol among patients with uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia, respectively. Selfmanagement
behaviors, perceptions of the health care team and clinician, BMI, and chronic disease self-efficacy will
be measured at baseline and after 12 months. Clinician experience is being assessed through surveys and
qualitative interviews. Cost and utilization data will be analyzed through cost-predictive models