Quality BY AMY LYNN SORREL


Medicare pays for chronic care management


PHYSICIANS STAND TO BOOST CARE QUALITY AND BOTTOM LINE BUT FACE HEFTY REQUIREMENTS


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Despite the rigor involved, Ghassan Salman, MD, says Medicare’s Chronic Care Management program holds financial and clinical rewards for physicians and patients, and “this may become the way we practice.”


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aking referrals. Coordi- nating care among set- tings. Managing mul-


tiple medications. Taking after- hours phone calls. The list goes on of behind-the-scenes activities primary care physicians do to give top-notch care to their chronically ill patients. For years, Medicare did not pay


for that work, beyond a face-to- face visit. That’s changed. As of January, the Centers for


Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began paying for chronic care management of patients with two or more conditions under its Chronic Care Management (CCM) program. The payment applies to patients in traditional fee-for-ser- vice and noncapitated Medicare Advantage plan arrangements. As with most things Medicare, Texas Medical Association lead-


PHOTO BY MATT RAINWATERS September 2015 TEXAS MEDICINE 45


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