Chronic Care Model implementation for cancer screening and follow-up in community health centers.

BACKGROUND: The Health Disparities Cancer Collaborative (HDCC) implemented six components of the Chronic Care Model (CCM) to increase cancer screening and follow-up among underserved populations from 2003-05.
METHODS: Organizational surveys were administered among 19 community health centers participating in the HDCC and 22 matched control centers. Health care providers, directors, financial officers, information systems personnel, and general staff completed surveys to measure CCM implementation (primary outcome) and cancer care process improvement (secondary outcome) at the organizational level.
RESULTS: The HDCC community health centers were more likely to report CCM implementation than control centers. The HDCC and control centers were equally likely to report cancer care process improvement, but CCM implementation was significantly associated with process improvement in adjusted models.
CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of CCM, not solely HDCC participation, was associated with cancer care process improvement. Organizational and individual change is challenging among the large, healthy populations eligible for cancer screening.