Continuity of care: important, but only the first step

Continuity of care is critical to achieving the best outcomes, especially for patients with chronic conditions. Israel's strong commitment to primary care as a central organizing concept of the health system, accompanied by investments in health information technology and training primary care physicians, has contributed to its impressive levels of continuity of care. Taking the next steps toward a comprehensive system of patient- and population-centered care for proactive management of patients with chronic conditions has much potential to further enhance outcomes and reduce costs.