All Articles on Chronic Illness Management

• Acupuncture eases chronic low back pain in SPINE trial

  Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest U.S. randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. But the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) trial raises questions about how the ancient practice actually works.
• Chronic Care Model helps improve people's health and care

  Ed Wagner, MD, MPH, and Group Health colleagues set out 15 years ago to explore how best to engage patients with chronic diseases in effective care. With Robert Wood Johnson Foundation support, they developed the Chronic Care Model. More than 1,500 U.S. and international medical practices have adopted the Model. Now the largest roundup of evidence on how the Model performs in practice confirms that it works.
• NCQA honors Dr. Ed Wagner for improving chronic illness care nationally

  Dr. Ed Wagner, director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health Cooperative, is among four winners of the 2007 Health Quality Awards from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The awards, presented every two years, honor individuals and organizations whose energy, efforts, and vision have substantially helped improve U.S. health care quality.
• Yoga is more effective than conventional exercise for low back pain, Group Health study finds

  Yoga appears to be more effective for low back pain than conventional exercise or getting a self-care book, according to a first-of-its kind study conducted by researchers at Group Health Center for Health Studies and published in the December 20, 2005 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.