Physician perspectives of nurse care management located in primary care clinics

Care management has been suggested as a method to improve management of chronic disease, but its success can depend on the involvement of primary care physicians, especially with referral to care management. Our objective was to identify and characterize physicians' perspectives of care management in order to gain insight into the rationale for referral to care management. The study took place in primary care clinics within an integrated delivery system. Nineteen primary care physicians with varying levels of involvement with care management participated in the study. We performed a qualitative and quantitative analysis of semistructured interviews. Four referral patterns emerged that were related to physicians' recognition of care managers' abilities and how care managers were connected to their practice. Results from this study can be used to more effectively implement similar models of chronic disease management, where physician participation is a critical component for successful implementation.