Chronic Care Management: Why aren’t your patients enrolled?

For the millions of patients battling multiple chronic conditions in the United States, it is a marvel that more are not enrolled in chronic care management services. According to the National Health Council, an estimated 133 million (and growing) individuals in the United States are battling one or more chronic diseases. Their estimations reflect that, by 2020, that number will grow to 157 million with approximately 52% of those individuals having more than one chronic disease. Why, with these astronomical number, are patients not enrolled in services that are improving lives beyond measure?

In a report released by CMS, they interviewed a group of professionals that reflected several positive outcomes for patients utilizing CCM. Including increased access to services, improved patient experience, and decreased hospitalizations, Chronic Care Management has proved to be a useful tool in the effort to aid the chronically ill. The answer to why patients are not enrolling in such beneficial services relies largely on how services are being presented. Providers who are eager to increase enrollment in Chronic Care Management services at their practice should understand the benefits of outsourcing CCM. Below are several ways that outsourcing CCM improves patient enrollment rates.

Impacts and Benefits of Outsourcing Chronic Care Management:

1)    Increase Patient enrollment

A common misconception related to outsourcing CCM is that it somehow creates a less personal or engaging experience for the patient, making them less likely to enroll. In reality, outsourcing CCM increases the number of patients enrolled in services. By partnering with Chronic Care Management experts, providers make sure that the individuals communicating CCM to their patients can fully explain the program. This guarantees that patient’s gain a better understanding of CCM, increasing their likelihood to enroll in services. This is not saying that a provider’s staff cannot communicate the message successfully. This means that an expert, dedicated to growing and improving CCM at your practice, can spend as much time as is necessary to explain the benefits and function of Chronic Care Management to your patients. Whereas an in-house staff member might be being pulled in multiple directions throughout their workday.

2)    Achieve High-Level Efficiency and Accuracy

In the same way that Chronic Care Management experts can explain, in detail, the workings of CCM to patients, these individuals are able to achieve high levels of accuracy and efficiency for a practice. With a comprehensive understanding of CCM, these experts can ensure that the work is completed in a timely fashion as well as help to the highest standard of completion. Providers take a risk when implementing Chronic Care Management services into their practice. With so much to focus on, it can be simple to allow things to fall through the cracks, whether providers mean to or not. By outsourcing Chronic Care Management, providers can ensure that the work is being done by someone who is fully dedicated to managing the responsibility.

3)    Cut Costs.

By introducing a new line of services into their practice, providers open a window to improve their bottom line and make more money. Some suggest that outsourcing these services would decrease the amount that a provider would earn form Chronic Care Management overall.  The truth is that by outsourcing CCM, providers can cut costs elsewhere in their practice and improve their numbers. By outsourcing, providers eliminate staffing costs that would have previously been dedicated to managing these services. While vendors of CCM services have fees, these fees usually amount to less their annual staffing costs for the provider. Not only this, but by handing your CCM services over to more than capable experts, providers decrease the number of documentation and billing errors that they normally see.

Handing over your Chronic Care Management services to expert professionals increases patient enrollment in CCM services due to vendors having the time to sit and explain every detail to patients who want to understand. On top of this, outsourcing CCM improves accuracy and efficiency in the documenting and billing process, improving your overall bottom line compared to in-house services.

To learn more about the benefits of outsourcing CCM, click here.