title: Virtual integrated practice: integrating teams and technology to manage chronic disease in primary care.
abstract: The use of teams in health care has generally relied on the notion that teams must physically meet and function in person in the same location, on a regular, scheduled basis, in order to maximize the value of the interdisciplinary process. This article examines the concept of creating a different kind of team in primary care, out-patient settings--one which relies upon communications technology to link together clinicians from different locations to coordinate and manage the care of patients, particularly those with chronic disease. This approach--referred to as Virtual Integrated Practice--is designed to overcome the barriers of traditional in-person teams by creating a "virtual team" with the potential to function more efficiently, productively, and satisfactorily for clinicians and patients alike.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 1700 West Van Buren, Suite 470, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. steven_k_rothschild@rush.edu
authors.forename: Steven K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rothschild
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lapidos
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018511:Systems Integration; D017216:Telemedicine; D014584:User-Computer Interface