The Bronx study -- a trial of health care management

We have reviewed our experiences in the Bronx study, which was a one-year pilot study by the New York Telephone Medical Department, aimed at expanding our involvement in the health care of company employees without duplicating what already existed in the community. We learned much from the study, chiefly in its evolution of a concept which we call Health Care Management (HCM). The three basic elements of HCM are (1) to deliver just enough care in-house to gain from the employee his authority to let us manage his health, (2) to document all of his health data confidentially, and (3) to work closely with community care resources in treating those clinical episodes needing their services. We learned that the two key ingredients of such a program are an adequate, comprehensive record system and thorough training of every member of our in-house HCM team. We are intensively developing both of these in preparation for incorporating HCM into our medical program throughout the New York company.