As a healthcare provider, you're probably used to providing acute care. You treat patients with short-term conditions and focus on getting them back on their feet as quickly as possible. Could there be another way? What if we told you that by transitioning your patients into chronic care management programs, they could get the help they need to improve their quality of life while reducing overall costs? Would you be interested? Well, this post is going to tell exactly how that happens!
The aging population is growing.
This is a fact that many healthcare providers are aware of, but what does it mean for the future of your healthcare? The answer to this question depends on which way you look at it. It's true that an aging population does increase the need for chronic care management services because there are more people who need access to these services than ever before. However, there are also costs associated with caring for an aging population—specifically on the financial side of things—and these costs may outweigh any benefits they bring to your practice. As such, we encourage you to consider all aspects of caring for an aging patient before deciding whether or not they would be a good fit in your practice.
Chronic care management is needed.
If a patient has diabetes, asthma, hypertension, or congestive heart failure, for example, chronic care management can help them manage their disease. If a patient has depression or anxiety as well as one of these conditions, chronic care management can help him or she get treatment for both conditions at once.
Chronic care management is used to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs for healthcare providers. It also provides the opportunity for better coordination among medical practitioners so that they work together closely on behalf of patients with multiple chronic conditions.
Medicare can reimburse chronic care management services.
Chronic care management is a Medicare Part D benefit that pays providers 100% of the usual and customary rate for services provided by a licensed healthcare professional in coordination with patients' treatment plans. This includes non-face-to-face time spent on activities like reviewing medication lists, providing education on medication use and side effects, and communicating with other members of the patient's healthcare team.
Chronic care management provides increased access to physicians.
Patients who are enrolled in chronic care management programs have higher rates of follow-up care than those who aren't.
The reason for this is that CCM can help patients manage their chronic conditions and avoid emergency room visits or hospitalizations for these reasons. As such, CCM ensures that patients stay on track with treatment plans and medications; if they're not, then it's much easier for a physician to catch any issues early on and make sure things are running smoothly before they get worse—and more expensive—than necessary.
Chronic care management reduces hospital readmissions.
Not only does CCM reduce costs and improve patient outcomes, but it also helps physicians focus on the more important aspects of their jobs: caring for their patients and managing their practices. That makes sense when you think about it—physicians are human beings; they need to get paid enough so they can feed themselves, pay rent, buy groceries, etc., but at the end of the day they want to be able to spend time with people who matter most: their families. Physicians don’t want to spend hours at work answering emails or catching up on paperwork after hours; they would rather be spending time with loved ones or pursuing hobbies outside of medicine altogether!
CCM can increase physicians' time with patients and staff.
CCM can help you find time for patients. When you invest in CCM, you will be able to spend more time with the people whose health matters most: your patients. The ability to focus on each case one at a time allows clinicians to become highly skilled at meeting the needs of their patients. In addition, it helps them avoid burnout and exhaustion while creating a happier work environment overall.
CCM can also help you find time for staff. It may seem counterintuitive, but by spending more quality time with patients—and decreasing wait times—you'll actually be able to spend less total hours per week taking care of things like scheduling appointments or fielding questions about billing status (which is often an arduous process that eats up valuable minutes). Additionally, CCM can allow you and your staff members more opportunities for collaboration and cooperation on projects which results in higher morale among everyone involved!
CCM improves continuity of care.
If you’re a chronic care patient, your healthcare provider may not know all the steps you need to take in order to manage your condition successfully. CCM helps patients manage their conditions by providing weekly check-ins and medication reminders, which makes it easier for them to stick with their treatment plans so they can get better and stay out of the hospital.
CCM helps patients stay on track with treatment plans and medications.
In many cases, this is because of the high cost of healthcare: one study found that 30% of people with chronic diseases are unable to pay for their medication without assistance from insurance or government programs like Medicare or Medicaid. If a patient misses a dose, it may be harder for them to get back on track with their treatment plan. Other times, the cause might be something more complicated: perhaps the patient has trouble keeping track of their medicine schedule due to an underlying condition like dementia or Alzheimer's disease, which causes memory loss and confusion about events in one's life (this is also referred to as "dementia"). A CCM can help keep track of all these changes so that nothing falls through the cracks during your recovery process.
Chronic care management programs can improve patient outcomes and reduce costs for your practice, giving you more time and money to focus on what’s important – your patients. If this sounds like something that might be helpful at your practice, contact the team here at Elite Case Management Agency today! We would love to hear from you.