Healthcare is a field that is constantly evolving, and one of the latest innovations in this industry is Chronic Care Management (CCM). CCM is a service that helps patients with two or more chronic conditions manage their health and improve their quality of life. According to Medicare, chronic conditions last at least 12 months or are expected to last for the rest of the patient’s life. Some examples of chronic conditions are diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, and depression.
CCM services are provided by healthcare professionals who work with the patient to create and implement a comprehensive care plan that covers their health problems, goals, medications, providers, and community resources. The care plan also outlines how the patient’s care will be coordinated among providers and settings.
CCM services are beneficial not only for patients but also for providers and the healthcare system as a whole. Here are some of the ways that Chronic Care Management is innovating healthcare:
Top 10 ways Chronic Care Management Innovating Healthcare
Physician Satisfaction
CCM services can increase physician satisfaction by reducing workload and improving patient relationships. CCM services can help physicians delegate non-face-to-face tasks to other care teams members, such as nurses, pharmacists, social workers, or care coordinators. This can free up more time for physicians to focus on complex cases and provide higher-quality care.
CCM services can also enhance physician-patient communication and trust by allowing more frequent and proactive contact. CCM services can help physicians monitor their patient’s progress, identify and address any issues or barriers, and provide education and support.
Patient Satisfaction
CCM helps patients with multiple chronic conditions improve their health outcomes and quality of life. Chronic Care Management involves providing personalized care coordination, education, medication management, and support to patients and their caregivers.
One of the benefits of CCM is that it can increase patient satisfaction. Patients receiving CCM report higher satisfaction with their care, communication, and service access. They also feel more empowered and engaged in their own healthcare decisions. CCM can help patients to achieve their goals, reduce their symptoms, and prevent complications.
Healthcare Savings
CCM can help increase revenue and save money in two ways. First, CCM can generate monthly reimbursements from Medicare and other payers for your services to patients with chronic conditions. Second, using technology, Chronic Care Management can improve the efficiency and quality of care delivery.
Technology such as remote monitoring devices, telehealth platforms, and electronic health records can enable you to monitor your patient’s health status, communicate with them regularly, and access their medical history and data. This can help you make better clinical decisions, avoid duplication of tests and services, and reduce errors and malpractice risks.
24/7 Clinician Communication
CCM can communicate with patients and other treating health professionals at any time of the day or night. This ensures patients receive timely and coordinated care, especially for urgent or complex needs. Chronic Care Management services include communication by phone, email, secure messaging, video conferencing, and other electronic means.
Effective communication skills are essential for providing patient-centered care and building trust and rapport. Clinicians should elicit the patient’s agenda, listen actively, empathize, and educate. They should also use clinical information systems to document and share care plans, goals, preferences, and progress with other care team members. By communicating effectively, clinicians can improve patient outcomes, satisfaction, and treatment adherence.
Regular Reports
CCM reports regularly on patients’ health status and progress with chronic conditions. These reports can help healthcare professionals monitor the effectiveness of their interventions, identify potential risks or complications, and adjust the care plan accordingly.
Regular reports facilitate communication and coordination among care team members, such as primary care physicians, specialists, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers. By sharing relevant information and feedback, the care team can ensure patients receive consistent and comprehensive care that meets their needs and preferences.
Logistics Assistance
CCM is a service that helps patients with multiple chronic conditions manage their health and improve their quality of life. CCM involves regular communication and coordination between the patient, their primary care provider, and other healthcare professionals involved in their care. CCM also includes a comprehensive care plan that outlines the patient’s health goals, medications, services, and providers.
Logistics assistance is a key component of Chronic Care Management that helps patients access the resources and services they need to follow their care plan. Logistics assistance can include arranging transportation, scheduling appointments, ordering supplies, coordinating referrals, and providing reminders. Logistics assistance can also help patients overcome barriers such as language, culture, literacy, or disability that may affect their ability to access care.
New Revenue Streams
CCM is a way to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients with chronic conditions and create new revenue streams for healthcare providers. By offering Chronic Care Management services to eligible patients, providers can bill Medicare and other payers for the time and resources spent coordinating and managing their care.
CCM can generate significant revenue for providers who enroll and engage their patients in the program. According to CMS, the average monthly reimbursement for CCM is $42 per patient. Suppose a provider enrolls 100 patients in CCM; that translates to $50,400 per year in additional revenue.
Enhanced Care Coordination
Enhanced Care Coordination (ECC) is a chronic care model that addresses the clinical and non-clinical needs of individuals with complex chronic conditions, especially high-risk and high-cost individuals. ECC provides person-centered care management through in-person engagement where enrollees live, seek care, and choose to access services.
ECC can benefit providers by improving workflows, outcomes, and satisfaction. ECC can ensure more informed decision-making and earlier interventions by better connecting everyone involved in patient care and offering actionable, real-time clinical data and intelligence.
Improved Outcomes
CCM aims to provide high-quality management of chronic diseases within a primary care setting. It enables healthcare providers to enhance access to care, utilize technology, and promote self-management among their patients. By proactively addressing changes in patients’ chronic conditions, providers can prevent issues from worsening and reduce the need for in-person visits.
In addition, Chronic Care Management plays a crucial role in value-based care and risk-sharing models. It allows providers to align their incentives with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing costs for patients. Furthermore, CCM generates a new source of recurring revenue for providers through Medicare reimbursement for non-face-to-face care coordination services.
Greater Productivity
CCM helps providers manage their patients’ chronic conditions more effectively. CCM can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction by offering regular contact, care coordination, and personalized support. Chronic Care Management can also increase provider productivity by reducing unnecessary visits, hospitalizations, and complications.
CCM can also help providers optimize their revenue by billing for the time and resources spent managing their patients’ chronic conditions. Medicare reimburses providers for CCM services based on the complexity and duration of the care provided. Providers can also benefit from improved communication and collaboration with other treating clinicians involved in the patient’s care.
Conclusion:
Chronic Care Management is an innovative service that helps patients with multiple chronic conditions manage their health and improve their quality of life. CCM benefits not only patients but also physicians and the healthcare system by increasing physician and patient satisfaction, saving money, providing 24/7 clinician communication, offering regular reports, providing logistics assistance, and creating new revenue streams. Enhanced Care Coordination is another model of care that focuses on individuals with complex chronic conditions and provides person-centered care management through in-person engagement. To learn more about CareCloud’s Chronic Care Management solutions and how they can benefit your practice, visit our website or contact us to speak with one of our experts.
