Kilo C. Improving care through collaboration. Pediatrics. 1999;103(1, supplement):384-393.

This article describes the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series model for improvement. It is about collaborative improvement methods that accelerate the rate of diffusion of existing science into clinical practice.

Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group. MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20,536 high-risk individuals: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2002;360(9326):7-22.

This study found that adding simvastatin to existing treatments safely produces substantial additional benefits for a wide range of high-risk patients, irrespective of their initial cholesterol concentrations.

Leatherman S, Berwick D, Iles D, et al. The business case for quality: Case studies and an analysis. Health Affairs. 2003;22(2):17-30.

This article examine four cases — management of high-cost pharmaceuticals, diabetes management, smoking cessation, and wellness programs in the workplace — to understand the financial and clinical implications of improving care.

Trento, M, Passera P, Tomalino M, Bajardi M, Pomero F, Allione A, Vaccari P, Molinatti G, Porta M. Group visits improve metabolic control in type 2 diabetes: A two-year follow-up. Diabetes Care. Jun 2001;24(6):995-1000.

This article describes a study which attempted to test whether group visits as part of regular diabetes care were more effective than individual one-on-one visits.  The study and results are described in depth.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the Bureau of Primary Healthcare; 2002

IHI, with support from the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), has developed training manuals to help health centers improve care for their patients with chronic illness. The manuals include key changes and measures for improving care, along with tips, tools, and other resources to assist organizations in this work. Click on the link below to view the PDF version of the Depression manual.

Weiss KB, Mendoza G, Schall M, Berwick DM, Roessner J
Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 1997

**NOTE: This Breakthrough Series Guide was published in 1997 and has NOT been updated. Please be advised that much of the clinical content may be out of date.**        Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Breakthrough Series Guide to improving asthma care in children and adults. This Guide includes topics such as: Building capacity for routine assessment of patient outcomes; Reducing unintended variations in care; Streamlining the process of care; Building information systems capacity.

The National Coalition on Health Care and The Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Curing the system: Stories of change in chronic illness care. Accelerating Change Today (ACT). May 2002.

Profiles of individuals, institutions, and organizations that have demonstrated excellence in chronic disease care.

Full Text Available! Click View Article below.

Wagner EH, Austin BT, Von Korff M. Organizing care for patients with chronic illness. Milbank Quarterly. 1996;74(4):511-544.

Comprehensive discussion of the model for improving chronic illness care.

Von Korff M, Gruman J, Schaefer J, Curry SJ, Wagner EH. Collaborative management of chronic illness. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1997;127:1097-1102.

This review article with an extensive bibliography describes the elements of collaborative care.

Beck A, Scott J, Williams P, et al. A randomized trial of group outpatient visits for chronically ill older HMO members: The cooperative health care clinic. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1997;45:543-549.

Evidence that group visits can provide clinical care and result in beneficial outcomes for patients and providers.