JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PRACTICE
Disease Management Initiatives and the Ability to Reduce Costs of Chronic Care
Author(s): Maria E. Scopelliti, Robert J. Spinelli
Citation: Maria E. Scopelliti, Robert J. Spinelli, (2011) "Disease Management Initiatives and the Ability to Reduce Costs of Chronic Care," Journal of Management Policy and Practice, Vol. 12, Iss. 4, pp. 94 - 103
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
With approximately sixty-three million people suffering from a chronic illness in 2005, accounting for 78% of total health spending currently (Bodenheimer, Chen & Bennett, 2009), the prevalence of and cost burden associated with chronic illnesses are projected to continue rising, unless something is done to control costs and manage the prevalence of these chronic illnesses. Through disease management efforts, the plan of care is structured to encourage prevention of complications through evidence-based practices, such as patient education and self-care. However, the question becomes whether or not CMS’s Medicare Health Support (MHS) initiative actually has the ability to reduce health care costs related to certain chronic illnesses.