Chronic Care Management

Yes.  Chronic Care Management was created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  In most cases, your insurance company has actually identified you as qualified for this service.

Yes.  Chronic Care Management is recommended by your Doctor and/or care team.  Additionally, the program is endorsed by the American Medical Association and each of the major medical societies and has been identified by the Department of Health and Human Services as “a critical component of primary care that contributes to better health and care for patients, and even caregivers.”

Likely.  According to the latest research from Medicare, CareSync.com reports that in addition to improving health outcomes, Chronic Care Management has been shown to save nearly $1100 per patient per year due to improved health related outcomes, better utilization of insurance benefits, and fewer hospitalizations.

A recent survey indicates that nearly 70% of Doctors offer chronic care management or strongly plan to offer chronic care management this year.

Rarely.  While you will see an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance carrier for Chronic Care Management, in most cases you will not be billed for Chronic Care Management.  The most commmmon exception to this is if you have not yet met your yearly deductible.  All Medicare patients are required by law to pay a $185 Medicare Part B deductible.  The good news is that even if it is applied to your deductible, Chronic Care Management, will not affect your overall out-of-pocket expenses.

While insurance generally pays for the service, in rare cases the insurance company may transfer this charge to “patient responsibility”.  If this happens and you feel that this chard would create a financial hardship for you, let us know and we will determine how we can help.

Feel free to reach out directly to our Care Coordinator, Ann, by calling the office at (303) 730-2167.

As you already realize, the Doctors at Altitude Family and Internal Medicine feel very strongly about the benefits and importance of Chronic Care Management.

However, you have the right to stop CCM services at any time (effective at the end of the calendar month) by completing this written declination form required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Declining CCM services does not affect your ability to continue to see your physician at Altitude Family and Internal Medicine.

Prior to making this decision we would suggest a conversation with our Care Manager, Ann Lott, who can be reached at (303) 730-2167.