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Managing Chronic Health Conditions

If you are like most Americans, you live with a chronic health condition. Over half of adults in the country have at least one chronic disease condition; more than 50% of older adults have three or more chronic health conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that more than 40% of U.S. children ages five to 17 have at least one chronic disease or disability such as asthma or obesity. 

A chronic disease or disorder is defined as a physical or mental condition that lasts 12 months or longer and is generally incurable. According to the National Institute of Health, the condition “causes functional restrictions or requires ongoing monitoring or treatment.” 

In many cases, a chronic health condition continues in a person’s life, often until death. Chronic health conditions require dedicated care to manage them well. Fortunately, the experienced healthcare professionals of Think Whole Person Healthcare work together to oversee each patient’s long-term care needs for chronic conditions. 

Types of Chronic Health Conditions 

Several diseases and disorders fit under the chronic condition classification. These include:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Depression
  • Diabetes
  • Hepatitis
  • HIV and AIDS
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Kidney disease
  • Osteoporosis
  • Stroke

Additional conditions not listed above may also be considered chronic and just as important in needing proper diagnosis and treatment. The National Library of Medicine notes that more than 65% of all deaths in the United States are caused by one or more of the following five chronic diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. Further, chronic diseases kill seven out of 10 people in America each year — more than 1.7 million people.

Supervised Treatment for Chronic Health Conditions

At think, we’ve developed a comprehensive Care Management system to oversee chronic health conditions: Chronic Care Management (CCM), Care Coordination and Clinical Pharmacy. Because the incidents of chronic conditions increase with age, the U.S. Medicare system has established a program called CCM to help guide patients’ long-term health and improve their daily functioning. You may qualify for our CCM services if you have Medicare Part B benefits, and you have two or more chronic conditions. 

Based on your health needs, your think doctor or medical staff will help determine if you qualify for CCM services or our Care Coordination for chronic conditions. Once you are approved, you will be assigned a think care management team comprised of your physician, pharmacist and other onsite specialists who can best care for your multiple health conditions. 

For example, if you have diabetes, a heart condition and rheumatoid arthritis, your Care Management healthcare providers may include a think Primary Care physician, registered nurse coordinator, registered diabetes educator, rheumatologist and clinical pharmacist. You may even work with our physical therapy team to rebuild muscle strength and increase mobility. Or we may ask one of our Midwest Pain Clinic specialists at our campus to help you with any persistent pain. 

Benefits of Long-Term Care Management

The think Care Management services offer the following excellent, personalized care you deserve:

  • A care plan designed for your individual healthcare goals
  • Personal support and education from our caring medical staff
  • Individual medication management
  • Continual monitoring of your health
  • Coordination of preventative health screenings
  • Referrals to outside healthcare providers, if needed
  • Retrieval of medical records both inside and outside of think
  • Assistance with community resources 

One of the added benefits of our Care Management services is a think physician or other member of your care team is available to discuss any of your urgent health needs, anytime day or night, 24/7. We are always here for you to walk you through those flare-ups or encourage you on in maintaining your health. 

Managing Your Care Remotely

When you face several long-term health conditions, it can feel overwhelming and isolating to keep up with your everyday care. To help, think offers Remote Patient Management (RPM), a service that uses digital technology to collect health data from you outside the clinical setting. This means you can rest at home, and we’ll keep updated on your vital signs, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and more. 

With RPM to assist, we’ll give you a diabetes glucometer, blood pressure cuff and a scale to use at home. We show you how to use the simple health-monitoring equipment, and each device sends the data to us directly. No writing down or calling in your numbers. Everything we need to track for you is seamlessly sent to us via an internet connection using phone text or other digital device. 

In a sense, we bring our think clinic right to you. Organized and proven RPM networking between think physicians and other healthcare teams ensures better patient-provider relationships and stronger communication to help watch over your health. As part of our complete Care Management services, RPM allows close and careful coordination and supervision of your multiple chronic conditions. 

Your Think Team Stays in Touch

Our clinical pharmacists can get alerts from a patient’s RPM biometric data that may trigger the need for quick-action intervention. If someone’s blood sugar reading reaches 500, we would call the patient and inquire about the high number and advise on next medical steps. Private insurance or Medicare typically covers most RPM expenses. The only requirement is that patients can access emails on their phone and have Wi-Fi connection. 

As part of the RPM program, someone on your think managed care team will call at least monthly to review your health monitoring readings, answer your questions and provide recommendations on your health. For added reassurance and privacy, all your health data is encrypted and stored in your own think medical records.  

Your Think Whole Person Healthcare team is ready with compassionate care and seasoned expertise to help oversee your chronic medical conditions. You can conveniently reach us at 402.506.9000 to discuss how chronic care and remote management of your health can be of help today and for many more tomorrows. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT MANAGING CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS BY SPEAKING WITH YOUR THINK PHYSICIAN

Think makes it easy to receive both preventative care and treatment for a wide range of health conditions. From that nagging, deep cough to those painful joints, our healthcare providers and specialists are committed to your lifelong health and well-being.Our walk-in clinic treats anyone, even those who are not a think patient or do not have a primary care provider currently. To learn more about our comprehensive healthcare services, visit our Services page online and choose your own think medical professionals by visiting our Meet Your Doctor page. 

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