Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
IN PREVIOUS communications, the service program in Memphis and Shelby County (Tennessee) for the continuing care of patients with selected chronic diseases has been described.1-5 Since the report in 1970,2more than 140,000 patient-visits to the decentralized facilities have been made, and patients under regular care now exceed 9,000. The number of urban and rural neighborhood and satellite clinics, which are operated by the Health Department, has been increased to 20, with several more planned. Although the main efforts have been service oriented and directed toward meeting the medical needs of a large chronically diseased population, some measurements of the effectiveness and acceptability of continuing care to patients in the program and its effects on the course of the chronic illness have been presented recently.5This report extends these observations but is primarily concerned with making certain comparisons between patients receiving care in decentralized facilities staffed by
John W. Runyan (Mon,) studied this question.