The recent implementation of the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD)/Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease (PELD) system for the allocation of cadaveric liver organs in the US represents a dramatic change in organ allocation policy. Previous allocation algorithms used a categorical...

Migraine is a common chronic headache disorder affecting more than 10% of persons in Western populations. The clinical management of migraine is notable for the variability of diagnostic testing, therapeutic interventions and cost. Standards of care and clinical guidelines for migraine have...

The positive results of several randomized controlled trials of nurse-led disease management (DM) for heart failure have led to considerable growth in the use of DM programs in such patients. However, many aspects of the protocols used in randomized trials of DM for heart failure have differed,...

Cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to improve exercise tolerance and symptomatology in patients experiencing angina or heart failure and reduce long term mortality after myocardial infarction, with a good cost-effectiveness ratio. In addition to these `hard' endpoints, cardiac rehabilitation...

The rapid expansion of disease management continues. A multitude of stakeholders and marketplaces are now involved in providing cost-effective quality healthcare for individuals and populations. To help you keep up-to-date with the very latest developments in disease management, this section of...

Success stories of disease management programs have heightened the interest of healthcare payors and providers in the adoption of disease management principles for their aging members. However, caution is needed for rapid adoption, as several crucial characteristics within the aging population...

This review outlines a migraine-specific specialist patient program developed by the UK Migraine Action Association (MAA) for delivery to groups of patients with migraine throughout England and Wales. The program, which began in 2004, will deliver courses to 36 groups of 20 patients over 3...

Disease management has emerged as an important tool to increase quality of care, improve patient outcomes and control costs. Reducing provider practice variation is a key aspect of successful disease management. Clinical practice guidelines are a useful tool to reduce practice variation but are...

Interactive voice response (IVR) phone systems offer unique opportunities for disease management. This technology can address challenges in patient care, including how to provide personalised assessment and intervention to large populations in a cost efficient manner. Furthermore, the IVR point...