An innovative model of health care delivery: the care management program of the University of Iowa.

The Indigent Patient Care Program (legislatively enacted in 1915) provides comprehensive health care to indigent Iowans without health insurance. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, a leading academic medical center, was designated as the health care provider for these medically and socially complex patients. The Care Management Program of the University of Iowa (CMPUI) is an innovative care delivery model responsible for total health management of patients enrolled in the indigent program. The CMPUI is a solution to preserve the tripartite missions of an academic medical center while ensuring the preservation of the historic Indigent Patient Care Program in Iowa.