Development of Primary Care Based Health Support Model in Japan –From Preventive Disease Management to Home Care Supporting System–

Japan faces to the rapid ageing. This ageing process accompanies with the increase of patients with chronic diseases. Under the highly aged society where most of the aged patients have multiple health and social problems, an integrated service delivery system is required. Primary care has long been regarded as indispensable in order to realize such an appropriate health service delivery system. The new Japanese health promotion program that has been implemented since 2008, offers an important opportunity for the development of primary care based chronic disease management (CDM) scheme, as this program requires for different service providers to work together. The electronic health record (EHR) that is used for the new health promotion program can be developed for the regional common EHR in future. Unfortunately, the new health promotion program has not been expanded as expected at the moment. The market seems to be rapidly shrinking. Considering the importance of establishing the primary care system for future highly aged society, the local medical association that is the key organization of primary care, is expected to actively participate the implementation of new health promotion program and then to establish a primary care based CDM system.