Community care for people with chronic conditions: An analysis of nine studies of health and social service utilization in Ontario

A series of studies conducted in the same region found that programmatic, c ommunity-based health and social service interventions have a positive impa ct on client well-being. These proactive interventions, designed to address the full range of health and social needs, were usually provided at the sa me-or even lower-costs as uncoordinated, illness-focused care. The results of this series suggest that across-the-board health care reduction, at leas t in a system of national health insurance, will produce poorer results, at higher cost, for people with chronic conditions living in the community Po licy planners need more research that concentrates on comparisons of outcom es between and within different models of health and social service deliver y. The studies should be designed to help them determine who benefits from different service configurations carried out within a range of policy envir onments at various costs.