Introduction

Another model, which is not discussed in this supplement but shares elements of the CCM, is the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH). This model has been gaining attention and popularity in recent times.¹² The PCMH has been proposed as an enhanced model of primary care,¹³ with the following key components: care coordination, quality and safety, whole person orientation, personal physician, physician leadership, enhanced access, and payment. Within this model, each patient has a personal physician or provider who leads a team to ensure that care is coordinated across different specialties and providers, and health care team meetings take place at regular intervals. Aspects of care for which in-depth medical training is not required may be delegated to nonphysician members of the health care team.¹² Randomized trials have not yet been conducted, but PCMH pilot initiatives across the US have reported encouraging results, which support this model as a useful strategy for improving the quality and costs of diabetes care.¹²

No single model of care has been fully able to overcome the limitations that patients and health care providers encounter in trying to achieve quality diabetes care. The authors of the articles in this supplement have tried to provide the reader with a glimpse of their specific practices, with a candid view of the advantages and disadvantages inherent to their own models. With consideration given to the 6 core components of the Chronic Care Model, we hope that the reader will find elements in these models to stimulate the development of his or her own opinions regarding provision of optimal care for our patients with diabetes.