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Changing demographics
and the aging baby boomers will place a strain on already
stretched medical resources. According to recent statistics,
baby boomers make up 28% of the current American population
or approximately 76 million people (http://www.bbhq.com).
This statistic, added to the fact that people are now living
longer than ever before, means that a far greater proportion
of American society will be elderly than at any other time
in our country’s history. For the healthcare industry
and especially the home healthcare industry, that means that
a greater number of Americans will need increasingly more
medical attention as they age.
Another issue that threatens the current reactive
model of healthcare is chronic illness caused by various
hereditary and lifestyle conditions. Chronic illness is defined
as a disease or condition that lasts for a long period of
time or is marked by frequent recurrence. Examples of long
term and chronic illness include diabetes, chronic pain,
obesity, congestive heart failure, asthma, and many more.
At this point in time, chronic illness affects 45% of the
American population. It is estimated that 78% of all healthcare
spending in the United States is for caring with people with
chronic illness. This represents $1 trillion annually. People
with chronic illnesses, who are most likely to visit their
doctor, account for approximately 80% of doctor office consultations.
The World Health Organization projects that chronic disease
will be the leading cause of disability by 2020 and will
be the most expensive problem facing the healthcare system.
Today, home healthcare is delivered once an
acute situation arises rather than through a proactive model
that focuses on disease management. The current reactive
model only works if all patients eventually are resolved
and if an agency has unlimited human and financial resources.
These constraints do not reflect today’s healthcare
environment.
With so may patients, so few clinicians and
such a high occurrence of chronic disease that must be steadily
monitored rather than resolved, the reactive model is simply
inadequate. Medicare, too, is increasingly showing signs
of requiring homecare agencies to adopt a new model of care
that embraces the tenants of disease management.
Disease management
focuses on long-term health management rather than illness
resolution. Disease management programs strive to improve
the patient’s outcomes and quality
of life. Not surprisingly, disease management is most effective
for chronic diseases, which do not have a cure. The disease
management model helps patients alter behaviors, manage their
health and control symptoms by providing patient guidance
and education. Successfully managing a chronic disease requires:
- Open
communication between the patient and caregiver
- Patient
participation in his/her own care
- Vigilance on the part
of the clinician
Telemedicine helps home healthcare
providers meet the requirements for effective disease management
program. Today’s technology connects the patient and
the homecare provider using a phone, the Internet and/or
a home-based telemedicine device and an ordinary telephone
line.
This makes it possible to maintain bi-directional or back
and forth contact with the patient, transmit clinical data
and monitor every aspect of the patient’s condition
and progress on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This empowers
patients and their healthcare providers to be collaborative
partners in a safer, more convenient and, ultimately, a more
connected system of care. |
