Disease Management

This entry deals with the intersection between disease management and pharmacology from a social and policy perspective. Starting with the advent of managed care and an increased emphasis on care coordination, there was a parallel increase in the use of the term disease management, beginning most prominently in the early 1990s. This chapter addresses the reasons behind the rise in disease management, the perspectives of providers and patients, the influence of new technology, and current challenges in implementing effective disease management in the United States.