Status report on disease management efforts for the health promotion community.

Disease management has matured quickly over the last decade. In 1997 approximately $85 million was spent on disease management services, according to a 2005 report published in Managed Care Executive, and in 2004 the industry is approaching $1 billion in size. As employers and purchasers attempt to counter unacceptable rates of growth in health claism costs, disase management has become a common fixture among health plans. Additionally, many employers have opted to delay implementing health promotion and wellness programs in the hopes that disease management interventions will produce the desired relief from the unrelenting pressure of increasing health care costs. In this edition of The Art of Health Promotion, we will review the current status of disease management efforts with a special focus on the implications for health promotion initiatives and interventions.