Medicare’s chronic care management program appears to be reducing the cost of caring for participants while improving their quality of life.
The program, which pays physicians for non-face-to-face services they provided to coordinate care for their Medicare patients with at least two chronic medical conditions, was introduced in 2015. An analysis of its performance found that payments of up to $50 a month
…improved patient satisfaction and adherence to recommended therapies, improved clinician efficiency, and decreased hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits.
While Medicare paid roughly $52 million in chronic care management fees during the initial program period, the program produced a net savings of $36 million, mostly because patients needed less inpatient and outpatient care.
Learn more about Medicare’s chronic care management program and its initial impact on patient health and Medicare costs in the report Evaluation of the Diffusion and Impact of the Chronic Care Management Services: Final Report, which can be found here.