Critical elements of health care coordination for people with physical disabilities

In this presentation we will discuss the extent to which the various components of health care coordination enhances access to health care and improves health outcomes. We employed several different research methodologies to examine care coordination models and outcomes. We used a Participatory Planning and Decision Making process and key informant interviews to identify, classify, and richly describe care management models used in a Special Needs Plan for people with disabilities. We then created a model of the critical components of effective care coordination and used these to develop instruments to measure the elements of care coordination. Surveys were developed to examine care coordination from the perspective of care coordinators and from the perspective of recipients of care coordination. Finally, using a combination of survey research (in person interviews) and analysis of secondary data we examined health care outcomes for individuals with physical disabilities. We will discuss the results of the interview survey and the key elements of care coordination and the relation of critical care coordination elements to health outcomes.