Disease management at the system level--an effective way to improve health care.

The disease management approach to improving health care, at the system as well as the hospital level, has proved to be very powerful, producing unprecedented results in reducing costs while improving quality of care and patient satisfaction. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), working with a variety of leading managed care providers and pharmaceutical clients, has pioneered the development and dissemination of the disease management concept. Defines the disease management approach and outlines how it differs from the traditional component management approach. Also describes the key elements of disease management, characteristics to look for in a candidate disease, and results achieved so far. Finally, discusses the three strategic roles a healthcare player can take in disease management.