With so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, safety is on everyone’s mind right now. Providers may wonder about the best ways to continue seeing patients while minimizing the risk of spreading coronavirus and easing the anxiety of patients and staff.

I believe that Chronic Care Management (CCM) is one of the best tools that has ever been given to healthcare providers. I started using CCM in my office in October 2014 — a year before it became a benefit— because I’ve always believed healthcare was a team sport.

Strong roots in the Midwest

Brown Clinic has been in business since 1935, providing comprehensive, quality medicine to the residents of Watertown, South Dakota — with a friendly and down-to-earth attitude that reflects the strong community spirit found throughout the American Midwest.

When you can’t kick a cold, who do you go to? Primary care physicians are there for you when something’s feeling off and are also often the first to notice underlying health issues. The Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model is a means to help strengthen primary care, promote health, and lower healthcare costs.

What is CPC+?

CPC+ is a multi-payer initiative led by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to improve primary care with two five-year rounds that are location specific. It provides practices with a comprehensive learning system and data feedback that can help guide a practice’s decision-making and deliver better care.

Maximizing their clinical effectiveness while holding down costs is never easy, but for today’s medical practices, one sure guide is to follow the spending. And the evidence points overwhelmingly to one area — chronic medical conditions. 

Aging populations, chronic needs

The fact that America is aging is no secret. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans age 65 or older is expected to double by 2060 — to nearly 100 million. Nor is such information new. The trends have been apparent for years, and even if the estimates vary here and there, there’s no doubt that the nation’s average age is rising — bringing a lot of healthcare challenges.

America Ages — and Aches

Today, approximately 15% of Americans, some 46 million of us, are age 65 or older. Fast forward 40 years and the ranks of those eligible for Chronic Care Management are projected to reach nearly 100 million, about a quarter of the U.S. population. The exact numbers are anyone’s guess, but the trends are clear: Americans are living longer than ever. Medicine continues to make remarkable advances in the prevention and treatment of disease.