Collaborative Chronic Care Networks (C3Ns) to transform chronic illness care

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Systems Science
• Collaborative Improvement

Background:

• Current US chronic illness care systems are suboptimal despite advances in pediatric collaborative networks.
• A need exists for a new paradigm to effectively manage chronic diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the Collaborative Chronic Care Network (C3N) model.
• To outline the components and benefits of a network-based production system for chronic illness care.

Main Methods:

• The C3N model utilizes a platform with social, technical, and scientific operating systems.
• It harnesses collective intelligence from patients, clinicians, and researchers.
• Employs community building, IT infrastructure, structured innovation design, and multi-level data analysis (comparative effectiveness, care delivery processes, N-of-1 trials).

Main Results:

• The C3N model accelerates knowledge and discovery processes.
• It reduces unwanted variation and promotes rapid adoption of advances.
• Methods like the Federated IRB Model and a commons framework reduce participation costs.

Conclusions:

• A fully realized C3N represents a significant advancement towards a self-developing learning health system.
• This model offers a qualitatively different approach to improving chronic illness care.
• It enhances the collective intelligence and collaborative capacity for healthcare innovation.