Community Health Worker-Based Chronic Care Management Can Cut Costs

Community health worker (CHW)-based chronic care management (CCM) with behavioral support resulted in health improvements among consumers with diabetes and other chronic health conditions living in areas of rural Appalachia in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. During the first year across all participants with diabetes, those who lowered their HbA1c, made 22% fewer emergency department visits and had 30% fewer hospitalizations, which reduced their overall costs.

Among the participants with diabetes, 446 had a baseline HbA1c blood glucose control test and at least a six-month follow-up HbA1c blood glucose test. Those whose HbA1c improved had a mean . . .