Under the Same Roof: Co-Location of Practitioners Within Primary Care is Associated With Specialized Chronic Care Management

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and their burden is predicted to increase. Canada and New Zealand are similarly affected by the growing burden of chronic disease, which has had substantial impact on the primary care system – 80% of adult visits to General Practitioners in Canada are due to chronic condition management. Patient care teams may be an efficient means of providing systematic, safe and best practice care for complex patients. Shared premises are thought to be a critical factor to enable effective interdisciplinary care, and co-location also reflects the growing interest in redesigning traditional primary care into ‘patient-centred medical homes’, such that there is one point of access to an array of services and professionals.