With increasing emphasis being placed on controlling health care costs the Maine Department of Human Services decided in 1977 to undertake a three year experimental effort designed to demonstrate the potential of patient education for reducing medical care costs. Focusing on rural ambulatory care the program established formal patient education in health centers across the state. This article will cover the scope and sequence of events during the first two years with particular emphasis on the problems encountered in program planning and implementation. It will discuss some problems of rural development and includes recommendations for the reimbursement of patient education for third party programs.
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