Care management of patients with complex health care needs

November 23, 2009 Thomas Bodenheimer, MD, MPH, Rachel Berry-Millett, BA, all from the Center for Excellence in Primary Care, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco write in this article that a high percentage of health care expenditures are associated with a small proportion of the population. Most patients in this high-cost group are Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions, frequent hospitalizations, and limitations on their ability to perform basic daily functions due to physical, mental and psychosocial challenges. The growth in Medicare expenditures for beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions is striking . . .