Difference between Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Principal Care Management (PCM)

Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Principal Care Management (PCM) First came the CCM… Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services introduced CCM in 2015. One may argue that the main idea behind CCM was to give health care professionals treating patients with chronic conditions a way to care for their patients more effectively. I say, CMS …

What kind of activities are considered appropriate for Chronic Care Management services?

Required Elements of CMS compliant CCM program Multiple requirements exist to bill CCM. The requirements are complex and address patient’s eligibility, provider eligibility and billing components. One must manage care transitions between and among health care providers and settings, including referrals to other clinicians; follow-up after an emergency department visit; and followup after discharges from …

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) with Dr. Irina Koyfman

RPM, done right, is the best way to increase your practice revenue, decrease hospital readmissions, along with increase patients’ satisfaction.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) enables patients to remain at home while receiving optimal healthcare services to manage and treat their conditions, track signs of new symptoms, and intervene when needed.

Dementia Care: co-ordinated care + early detection and diagnosis = peace of mind

Peace of Mind Dementia is a disease that causes problems with memory and thinking, and eventually decline in the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), and ultimately the inability to live independently. Alzheimer’s disease is only one type of dementia, but the most common form (up to 70% of all dementias contributed to …

Chronic Care Management Program

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledged that less than 10% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries presently receive ambulatory care management services. Therefore several important changes to expand access to these services were made. CMS released 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (Final Rule) November 1, 2019. … More at Affinity Expert – Chronic …

The positive effects of practicing and sharing gratitude…

Improves health. Many studies have demonstrated that giving thanks improves mental and physical health. Keeping a gratitude journal improves sleep, reduces pain level, and decreases stress level. (https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/). Thinking differently. Practicing gratitude literally changes the brain. A study of 43 participants who suffered with anxiety and depression had brain scans. Half of the group was …

Healthcare economics – potential economic impacts of rewards patients who choose to have a procedure at a lower-cost provider

Screening for cancers saves lives. Mammogram is the screening for breast cancer, which reduces number of death from the disease (USPSTF, 2016). Unfortunately, half of the women do not get this life-saving test. Two most significant barriers in receiving the screening are the cost and the lack of insurance coverage (Cappon, 2014).  It is important …

Healthcare – how price and availability and price of substitutes could impact elasticity

To answer the question about which medication has more price-inelastic demand, we need to understand the concept of price elasticity of demand. According to Feldstein, price elasticity of demand is the percent change in quantity of demand divided by the percent change in price (2012). Using the formula, we could compare the quantity and price …

Meeting Patient Needs: Hidden Causes of Hospital Readmission

Brief Description of the situation: Mrs. C was readmitted back into the hospital six days after her recent discharge.  She left the hospital in stable condition, resolved symptoms, having all of her prescriptions and instructions in hand.  It was documented that she verbalized understanding of her discharge instructions including her follow up appointments and medications. …