Top Benefits of a Chronic Care Management Program to a Medical Practice

Patients with chronic conditions require extra medical practice resources because they need to see their doctor more often, require more prescriptions and refills, and usually have other conditions that crop up as comorbidities to their primary disease that require medical attention. However, by implementing a chronic care management program, practices can manage these patients and their conditions as efficiently and as cost-effectively as possible. 

Coordination of Care

A primary benefit of a chronic care management program is coordination of care for the patient. People who have chronic conditions often need to visit numerous medical practitioners to treat their disease. In fact, patients who qualify for chronic care management often have more than one disease that needs attention.

A program that allows for the management of chronic conditions allows everyone involved in a patient's care to meet behind the scenes and come up with a plan that is communicated via technology to the patient by a single practitioner. The patient gets the benefit of having just one visit to get all the answers they need from their multiple doctors.

Increased Revenue

Many people avoid seeing the doctor, even when they have conditions that need to be monitored constantly. They may be afraid of what the doctor is going to tell them or they just don't want to take the time out of their busy days to see one. Chronic care management increases the number of times a patient will see a practitioner because they will be on a set schedule to check in with their doctors. When they're able to see their doctor at home, it eliminates the inconvenience of driving to the office and the excuse of not having time. 

Increased Patient Loyalty

Chronic care management builds a practice not only by attracting new patients, but also by earning the loyalty of existing patients. The lifetime value of a patient can exceed a million dollars, and as any business owner knows, it's easier to keep a customer than it is to acquire a customer. Once a patient is set up on chronic care management, they are invested in their health with the providers in your practice. Of course, you still need to deliver positive outcomes, make sure the technology works properly, and that the user's experience with the management program is positive, but there are plenty of things you can do to ensure a patient keeps coming back to your practice for their healthcare needs.

Some ways to make sure that happens include having an easy onboarding process, actively seeking patient input on their experience, providing incentives to use the chronic care management program, and involving family members or caregivers in the management of a loved one's condition. These strategies will also improve your patient's health outcomes as well, which is yet another way to build loyalty.

Conclusion

Implementing a chronic care management program sets up a win-win situation for both providers and patients. Providers establish a revenue infrastructure that is created by reimbursements and recurring visit revenue, and patients get personalized attention, coordinated care, and improved health outcomes. The benefits are too good for anyone to pass up!