If you’re enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage or any other program for Medicare beneficiaries, there’s a high likelihood you have not just one but two or more chronic conditions. Coordinating and managing the complexities, costs and various care-related needs of those beneficiaries dealing with multiple chronic conditions is truly one of the greatest issues for the entire healthcare system now and in years to come.
As you’ll read in the Multiple Chronic Conditions Snapshot released through the Care for Us Project, over one-half of Medicare beneficiaries younger than 65 are living with two or more chronic conditions. That number climbs to 63 percent for those 65-74 years, 78 percent for those 75-84 years and, 83 percent for beneficiaries 85 years and older.
For individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid – a.k.a. dual-eligibles – the statistics are even more serious: they are 1.7 times more likely than regular Medicare beneficiaries to have 6 or more chronic conditions. The greater the number of chronic conditions, typically the more providers, treatments and pharmacy issues an individual has to manage.
And beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions usually aren’t dealing with the easiest-to-manage diseases. They are instead dealing with issues like heart failure, chronic kidney disease, COPD, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and asthma and allergic diseases, and the severity of these health issues often leads to an expanded care team that can include multiple specialists, nurses, case managers and social workers. If that sounds like a lot to keep track of, it is, each and every day.
Managing these conditions requires support from healthcare providers and facilities, all working together with the patient and their family to ensure there is a good medication list that prevent drug-drug interactions and adverse reactions, everyone is sharing information and communicating effectively and confirming at each step along the way that the patient and their family caregiver have a solid understanding of what they need to do to work on their care.
Many beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions turn to their health insurance provider for care coordination assistance. The types and level of support depend entirely on your health plan, but Medicare Advantage plans have received high marks for development of specific and targeted coordination and disease management strategies designed to address the unique needs of people with multiple chronic conditions.
For beneficiaries from minority populations, there are many other considerations that require the help of the clinical team. Chief among them are language and cultural considerations, which includes everything from the need for translated materials to specially trained care staff. Our campaign will take an in-depth look at the impact of multiple chronic conditions on minority beneficiaries and their very important and specific needs.
There are things a vigilant patient can and should do to ensure the best possible coordination of their care. Also through the Care for Us Project, we offer insights in the Care Coordination Pocket Guide (En español) that are relevant for all patients, but of particular importance to beneficiaries who have multiple chronic conditions. Click here [add link when uploaded] to see the Pocket Guide’s “5 Questions Every Patient and Caregiver Should Ask at Every Transition”, “4 Care Coordination-Related Considerations to Keep in Mind”, “10 Questions about Family Caregivers and Care Coordinators” and “12 Important Questions on Care Coordination and Home Health Care”.
Finally, beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions should be able to expect care coordination support from their health insurance provider. The types and level of support depend entirely on your plan, but Medicare Advantage plans have received high marks for development of specific and targeted coordination and disease management strategies designed to address the unique needs of people with chronic disease.
The bottom line is that chronic does not have to mean catastrophic, even if you are among the many beneficiaries dealing with multiple health issues. Care coordination can make all the difference in this respect; in addition to improving one’s quality of life it can, in fact, save lives. We’ve seen it happen and we’d like to see it happen as often as possible.