Collaborative Cardiac Care Project (C3P)

Data from VA-funded studies and the broader literature indicate that chronic stable angina (CSA) is prevalent, under recognized, under treated and associated with reduced quality of life. There are substantial opportunities for improving care of patients with this debilitating and potentially fatal problem. Because primary care providers manage most patients with CSA, efforts to improve care must necessarily involve the primary care delivery system. C3P is composed of a set of interventions employing a Collaborative Care Team model, which has been shown to be effective in managing other chronic illnesses in the primary care setting.

Objectives of the proposed project are to: 1) ascertain whether a collaborative approach to managing CSA in primary care results in better symptom control and quality of life than routine care; 2) assess whether the practice of providers assigned to the intervention group is more consistent with national clinical practice guidelines than that of control providers; 3) assess satisfaction of both patients and providers with this approach to management; and 4) assess marginal cost-effectiveness.