Team managed outpatient care for early onset chronic XXXX .

@entity1 @entity625 @entity158
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an outpatient team management program for @entity1 with early chronic @entity625 would produce improved clinical outcomes and lower costs than traditional, nonteam outpatient rheumatologic care in a clinic setting. METHODS: One hundred eighteen @entity1 with chronic @entity625 were randomly assigned to a team managed outpatient care program (TEAMCARE) or to traditional, one on one, nonteam managed rheumatologic care (TRADCARE). The TEAMCARE program consisted of a half day educational program, a needs assessment intake interview, and quarterly telephone calls, monthly team meetings, and routine rheumatologic care. TRADCARE @entity1 received unconstrained, routine primary and specialty outpatient care as practised typically by rheumatologists at this large multi-specialty clinic. All @entity1 had numerous physical and laboratory outcome assessments by rheumatologists at office visit. Every 6 months, @entity1 completed several self-report measures of functional status, @entity158 , psychosocial status, and costs. RESULTS: One hundred seven @entity1 completed one year of study participation. No significant differences were found between groups in measures of physical status, physical functioning, psychosocial status, or @entity158 . There were no differences between groups in economic or utilization measures. CONCLUSION: This team managed outpatient program for @entity1 with recent onset chronic @entity625 afforded no advantage to routine outpatient care, characterized mainly by one on one relationships between @entity1 and primary care doctors and rheumatologists, in our active outpatient clinical environment.
