About half of all adults — 117 million people — have one or more
chronic health conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. And one of four adults has two or more chronic health
conditions.1 Seven of the top ten causes of death in 2010 were from
chronic diseases. Two of these chronic diseases — heart disease and
cancer — together accounted for nearly 48 percent of all
deaths.2
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes chronic care
management (CCM) as one of the critical components of primary care that
contributes to better health for individuals. CCM services provide aid with
appointment scheduling and reminders, medication reconciliation, wellness
checks, and much more.
Medicare beneficiaries, who have two or more chronic conditions expected to
last at least 12 months, can authorize a physician to coordinate his or her
care. If an AmeriHealth Medicare Advantage patient selects you as his or her
authorized physician, please review Medical Policy #MA00.006: Care Management
and Coordination Services for our coverage position for these services. To view
this policy, visit our Medical Policy Portal and
select Accept and Go to Medical Policy Online, select the Medicare
Advantage tab from the top of the page, and then type the policy name or
number in the Search field.
1Ward BW, Schiller JS, Goodman RA. Multiple chronic
conditions among US adults: a 2012 update. Prev Chronic Dis.
2014;11:130389.
2Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Death and Mortality. NCHS FastStats website. www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm. Accessed December 20,
2013.