How To Improve Care Access Through Chronic Care Management

68% of Medicare patients are suffering from two or more chronic conditions at a time according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Surprisingly, There are a lot of people who are suffering from Chronic illnesses who are unable to get the treatment they require which can seriously harm their health.

Chronic care management (CCM) helps patients by providing them with remote preventative care and facilitating their communication with healthcare professionals. Here, we will discuss some of the obstacles to accessing care and how CCM can support your practice in overcoming them.

Obstacles to Accessing Care

Patients should have equal access to preventative care to decrease their hospitalization and emergency department utilization rates. However, a patient’s ability to get access to care is determined by several factors known as Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the top five social determinants are as follows:

• A patient’s economic stability
• Access to quality education
• Access to quality healthcare
• Neighborhood and built environment
• Social and community context

A strong relationship between patients and their healthcare providers is another benefit of CCM programs. Patients are therefore more likely to take action to increase their health outcomes and attend consultations for preventative treatment.

Enhancing Care Accessibility for Patients through CCM Strategies

When implementing the CCM program then make sure to make it available to your qualified patients. When it comes to making care accessible, then availability, cost, and convenience matter a lot.

Expense

CCM patients have to pay some coinsurance fees although some patients qualify for financial aid. CCM can still reduce the overall healthcare by reducing the risk of hospitalization for the patients who aren’t.

Ease and Accessibility

Such patients; those with full-time jobs or those who require someone’s help to get to the doctor may find it very hard to get an appointment and may be compelled to wait until they are severely ill to visit the hospital. Having a support line that is open at all times as CCM has means that the patients can call in and seek answers to some of the issues that concern them after they have been discharged from the hospital. The CCM care team can inform your practice of patients’ needs or even transfer them to an emergency if needed.

Enhance Access with Innovative Technology

For patients who face difficulty in making in-person appointments, remote preventative treatment is reliable, efficient, and affordable. Technology can also be a barrier to receiving the proper care for patients who are aging into Medicare. It is very important to stay away from using apps and software that are complex to use as these kinds of platforms can discourage patients from getting help.

Ensure that any remote communication solution that you get is easy to use and one that has been considered in terms of access. CCM program is a perfect solution to make sure that your patients are receiving the remote care they require between the visits. A good CCM program involves more than one form of communication so that the patient can select a preference. In addition to monthly calls and a 24/7 phone line, a CCM program should provide such choices as SMS texting, direct mail, and email.

Offer Services that Expand Healthcare Access

Regardless of whether or not you are building a CCM program within your organization or collaborating with an established CCM service, your goal should be to orient patients to your program in a positive manner. Helping patients with the following can improve access to care and help in maintaining their interest:

Regular Check-ins: Doing remote check-ins with your patients at the times that are best for their schedules is an excellent way to enhance healthcare accessibility.

Appointment Assistance: Patients can miss appointments because of many reasons like lack of transportation, can forget it, or having other obligations. CCM care managers can assist in this situation by pointing patients to the agencies that deal with transportation or by changing the appointments where necessary. 

Proper Education: To increase the chances of patients being able to access healthcare, they require literature and other materials in the language they comprehend. Some of the ideal CCM programs should deliver peer-reviewed educational materials through e-mail, text, or mail so patients may enhance self-management and be aware of what questions to ask regarding their treatment.

Medication Refills: Patients may not be able to afford the necessary medication due to heavy costs or sometimes they face trouble in going to the pharmacy and also get confused about what to refill and when. Healthcare managers can assist in scheduling home delivery, remind them of what medications need replacements, and monitor the patients that they are taking the medication at the proper time or not.  

Care Plans: CCM programs should allow the patient to see his/her care plan. It is possible to do this through an online portal but email, text messages, and direct mail can also be used.  

Medicare patients can have easier and more consistent access to treatment with the CCM services which include regular check-ins, education, care plans, and help with visits and medicines.

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