Ascent Care Partners

As a provider, have you ever wondered about your revenue potential from offering CCM and RPM services through a partner? Our easy to use revenue calculator can tell you in just a couple of seconds!

We factor in your market reimbursement, practice size, and participation rate the services to provide an accurate estimate.

As a reminder, CCM allows you to proactively engage with patients, improve care coordination, and generate additional revenue through Medicare reimbursement.

With RPM, you can remotely monitor patients' health conditions and provide timely interventions, leading to better patient outcomes and increased revenue opportunities.

Take advantage of our CCM/RPM calculator now to gain insights into the potential revenue generation for your practice or healthcare organization. Don't miss out on the opportunity to enhance the care you provide your patients while increasing your revenue!

Try our CCM/RPM calculator today and stay ahead in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.

https://myacpcare.com/

Managing chronic health needs can be challenging, but with Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), healthcare providers can improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. At Ascent Care Partners, we offer CCM and RPM services that can help manage chronic conditions.

Our CCM program provides a coordinated, team-based approach to care for patients with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and COPD. Our team of healthcare professionals works closely with patients to manage their medications, monitor their health status, and provide ongoing support and education.

Our RPM program uses cellular technology to remotely monitor our patient's health status in real-time. Our team can identify changes in a patient's health status and allowing for earlier intervention before a serious health event occurs. By using RPM, we can help prevent complications and improve patient outcomes.

If you have patients who are struggling with chronic conditions, Ascent Care Partners offers comprehensive CCM (Chronic Care Management) and RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) programs that can help improve their health outcomes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your patients and enhance their overall care experience.
https://myacpcare.com/

Looking for high-value healthcare that can be delivered anywhere?

Delivering precise and high-value healthcare to patients regardless of their location is crucial for improving healthcare outcomes and enhancing patient satisfaction. Advances in telemedicine, virtual care, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), and other digital health technologies have made it possible for healthcare providers to deliver high-quality care to patients anywhere, anytime. By leveraging these technologies, healthcare providers can remotely monitor patients' health conditions, provide virtual consultations, prescribe medications, and coordinate care seamlessly. This approach to healthcare delivery can help reduce healthcare costs, increase access to care, and improve patient outcomes. Find out more at https://myacpcare.com/.

Did you know virtual care can be an effective solution for wound care? With virtual care, wound care specialists can provide consultation and follow-up care for patients with wounds, all from their homes.

This saves patients time and money and ensures that wound care is accessible to those who may not be able to travel to a clinic or hospital. Plus, virtual care can provide real-time feedback and advice, allowing patients to receive prompt and effective treatment.

If you or someone you know is in need of wound care, consider exploring our virtual care options. It could be the solution you've been looking for. Let's spread the word and make wound care more accessible for everyone.



https://myacpcare.com/telemedicine-for-wound-care/

Patient loneliness is a serious issue that affects millions of people, especially those who are elderly, chronically ill, or living with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this problem worse, with many patients isolated from their families and support systems. But there is hope. By embracing virtual care, we can help combat patient loneliness and improve their overall health and well-being.

Virtual care allows us to provide patients with the human connection they need, even when they're physically isolated. By utilizing telehealth platforms, patients can connect with their providers and care teams from the comfort of their own homes. They can receive medical advice, manage chronic conditions, and receive mental health support, all without leaving their houses.

As the healthcare industry continues to embrace virtual care, we have an opportunity to make a real impact on patient loneliness. At Ascent care partners we're committed to leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes and combat patient loneliness. Contact us to learn more about our virtual care services and how we're working to make a difference in the lives of our patients.
https://myacpcare.com/

Want to help your patients focus on their care in between office visits? Do you want to realize a deserved income without the increased overhead?

Ascent Care Partners (ACP) provides turnkey Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) programs on your behalf. With CCM and RPM synchronizing care, you can provide high-touch care in-between office visits and use real-time patient data to make timely interventions. Moreover, CCM and RPM are billable services that offer clinical and financial benefits to your practice.

ACP works with the following physicians and providers:
1. Primary Care Providers
2. Family Practice Physicians
3. Internists
4. Gerontologists
5. Non-Interventional Cardiologists
6. Endocrinologists
7. Wound Care
and other providers

We understand you are busy, so we are making use of your time wisely. Join us in a quick lunch-and-learn Zoom meeting to learn more about our services and find the clarity you need. Transitioning to value begins with being informed. Just follow the link below to schedule a meeting.
https://calendly.com/robert-1061/rpm-ccm-with-ascent-care-partners

Types of Value-Based Care

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) has been working toward value-based care and away from the fee-for-service, which has been ineffective in improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare spending for hospitalizations from preventable causes.

Value-based care is all about quality not quantity and puts the patient at the center of care. Medicare incentivizes physicians and providers for the quality of care they provide. There are many types of value-based care, which generally differ in the risks assumed by providers and in the savings or losses shared.

Here are a few examples:

Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) refers to the network of physicians, hospitals, and providers that provide high-quality coordinated care to Medicare-eligible patients.

Bundled payment also called episode-based payment is a single payment for an entire episode of care.

Patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a care delivery service that coordinates patient care with a primary care doctor.

Transition to value with Ascent Care Partners (ACP) with our value-based programs like Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). We offer turnkey solutions to help you grow clinically and financially.

https://myacpcare.com/

Medication adherence is critical to prevent complications and costly hospitalizations, which can further burden the healthcare system. Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) is the perfect solution that covers quantitative and subjective patient data. RTM captures non-physiological data like patient adherence or pain points. It is unlike Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), which captures physiological data like vital signs and blood glucose levels.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) has recently made changes to the billing codes for RTM as part of its initiative to push for more value-based care programs. The new RTM codes provide a more expansive list of services that cover therapeutic and adherence monitoring.
With CMS continuing its support for virtual care, it will make a substantial impact on addressing the fractured inefficiencies of the healthcare system.

https://myacpcare.com/

Prioritizing Annual Wellness Visit

An annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is a yearly encounter conducted by a provider to create or update the patient’s preventive care plan.
However, after a decade since it was established in the Affordable Care Act, less than 20% of Medicare patients are having AWVs. Patients are missing out on its benefits, which has been particularly evident for diabetic patients as reported by researchers from the University of Virginia. The study shows that among patients who obtain AWVs, 36% no longer require major lower-extremity amputations.
The confusing Medicare rules on coverage are partly to blame. When patients receive the bill, they may be turned off by the additional cost. Under AWV, services like taking the patient’s weight, height, and blood pressure readings are not covered. Clearly, practices need to prioritize AWVs and improve their patient education so that patients will know the benefits they will receive with this particular service.

https://myacpcare.com/

Why patient education is important to healthcare providers?

Patient education is critical in providing patient-centered care. Research indicates that well-informed patients tend to adhere more to their medications and treatments. When patients comply with their care plans, it reduces episodes of escalation that can lead to costly hospitalization.
Hence, health providers need to provide a robust and effective patient education strategy. It starts with how the learning materials are presented. It should include different reading levels and different languages. Educating patients can also reduce the provider’s liability and enhances patient satisfaction when it comes to their care.
At Ascent Care Partners, we provide virtual healthcare services as full services that also include an effective patient education strategy. Our services like Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) utilize not only digital technology to provide care at any time and place, but also to connect the patients to the care team who will guide them in their care journey.
https://myacpcare.com/

Endocrinology Patient Monitoring with RPM

Endocrinology diseases are becoming prevalent among adults, a majority of whom suffer from diabetes. With advancements in technology, an innovative digital solution like Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) has been a lifesaver for many endocrinology patients. Leveraging telecommunication technology, RPM devices like a glucometer can capture a patient’s blood sugar levels and automatically transmit them in real-time to a clinician for review.

Through endocrinology RPM, physicians can get real-time updates on sudden spikes or drops in blood glucose levels, which pose life-threatening consequences. RPM can easily facilitate timely interventions like changes in medications when abnormal measurements are recorded. It can prevent disease escalation that could lead to unscheduled ER visits or hospitalizations.

Ascent Care Partners (ACP) offers turnkey RPM solutions, not just a software or device-only solution. Our full service helps practices in patient enrollment, shipping of fully configured devices including patient education as to its use, and providing monthly check-ins to discuss RPM data.

https://myacpcare.com/

Telehealth Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Telehealth or virtual care can enhance patient care because it is accessible and convenient. However, technology should not be a barrier to creating a seamless patient experience.

Here are some common telehealth mistakes and how your practice can learn from them:
Don’t ask your patients to download an app, go for web apps instead that run directly on a website.
Don’t ask your patients to create a new account; utilize the EHR or a web-based solution that can be accessed in just one click.
Don’t keep them in limbo waiting for you, provide a virtual waiting room where they can see how many patients are still in queue or provide a timer that tells them when you will be available.
Don’t limit your patient’s options on how to connect with you; offer them options like video calls, a landline, text messaging, or through a website they can access through a computer.
Don’t impose a telehealth solution; choose one that mimics your workflows so it can be easily integrated.
Always remember for telehealth to work, simplifying the process is vital.

What are examples of Care Management?

Care Management is an effective practice-based strategy for managing the health of populations. It includes all activities that providers and their teams perform to facilitate coordinated patient care across the healthcare landscape. The strategy is known to improve patient satisfaction, produce positive health outcomes, and reduce costs by preventing unnecessary hospitalization or readmission.

A good care management strategy includes the following:
Educating patients
Managing medications and providing adherence support
Conducting risk stratification
Managing population health
Coordinating care among providers
Planning the care
Primary care providers have been managing chronic disease for a long time, but were often not reimbursed until 2015 when Medicare introduced Chronic Care Management (CCM). CCM is for patients with two or more chronic conditions. It is designed to provide multiple touch points in-between appointments to ensure patients comply with their care plans, adhere to their medications, and abide by all the pertinent care instructions.

Other examples of care management include Principal Care Management for patients with one chronic condition and Transitional Care Management for patients who had a recent hospitalization. All these are Medicare billable services that optimize patient care while providing practices with a new revenue stream.
https://myacpcare.com/

What conditions apply to chronic care management?

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a virtual care service provided by medical professionals to Medicare beneficiaries who have two or more chronic conditions. By chronic, the condition is expected to last at least a year and needs continuous close medical attention to ensure the patient stays as healthy as possible and to avoid a costly hospitalization

The following conditions qualify for CCM:
Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia
Arthritis
Asthma
Autism
Cancer
Heart disease
Depression
Diabetes
Multiple sclerosis
Lupus
High Blood pressure
Hypertension
Infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS
Through CCM, patients get a comprehensive care plan that includes all the information needed by the provider and the clinical team that may be vital to the patient’s journey. This will include the record of the patient’s chronic conditions, personal information, health goals, and a list of all healthcare providers, medications, and other services they require to manage their conditions. The same plan details to the patient the important care instructions and coordination of their care.

CCM provides multiple touch points, especially during the crucial in-between office visits where an acute episode can easily occur. Providers can fill in the gaps in care to ensure patients stick to their care plan and out of the hospital.

Prices of healthcare services have rapidly increased and are now affecting patient health. More Americans are worried about their inability to pay for needed medical care in the next six months.
So what fueled this increase? There are many factors but the more prominent ones are the increased usage and intensity of services that also increased demand. Since demand is high, providers have also increased their fees as they invest in research for newer and more innovative technologies. Chronic illnesses along with an aging population are also on the rise and getting more expensive to treat.
People are now delaying care or skipping one altogether, which could be detrimental to those with chronic conditions. They are also skipping their prescription medicines or buying cheaper ones. Without the needed medical visit and good adherence to the medication plan, patient health will suffer. To know more, read our new blog, How Rising Medical Costs Impact Patient Health.

https://myacpcare.com/medical-costs-impact-patient-health/

Take one minute to see how one physician learned a painful financial lesson because they waited one year to start CCM and RPM later. We can get started providing CCM and RPM services for your patients in less than one hour.
https://acpcare.eb-sites.com/delays

Ways to Help Your Patients at Home

Today, providers are seeing the benefits of treating their patients at home without the stress and cost of traveling to the doctor’s office. Many patients, especially the elderly with chronic conditions prefer to receive care at home where they feel more relaxed and comfortable.

There are many ways to help patients at home like home care or virtual care services. The latter has been gaining prominence with the use of telehealth technologies where care delivery can now reach even the remotest places and provide access to previously underserved patient populations.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has encouraged virtual care because it can address the issues plaguing the healthcare system like mitigating the high cost of care and expanding access to those who need them the most. This is the rationale behind Medicare’s key programs like Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) to provide timely and relevant care by harnessing the power of telecommunication technologies.

With close monitoring and enhanced care coordination, doctors can provide multiple touch points to ensure compliance to care plans and capture near real-time patient data to ascertain patient health status. The overarching goal is to prevent an escalation or hospitalization, which reduces costs for all.

Around 80% of physicians are clearly interested in shifting from a fee-for-service payment model to a pay-for-performance one, which is tied to value-based care (VBC) models. Yet, physicians are underutilizing Medicare codes for various VBC programs. This is because physicians’ interest in adopting VBC solutions is tied to the risks involved as disclosed in a recent Bain survey.

As the level of risk to the provider increases, the interest declines. From 50% of physicians interested in quality incentive payments to only 13% when it comes to full capitation. Evidently, physicians are reluctant to take on the risks, both the upside and the downside, which is hindering VBC growth in the US healthcare industry.

However, there is one VBC model that can reward practices in both better patient outcomes, more cost savings, and additional income from reimbursements. Chronic Care Management (CCM) can help practices fully maximize the incentives tied to VBC models. To know more about how CCM can help physicians shift to VBC, read our new blog, Mitigating Value-Based Care Risks with CCM.
https://myacpcare.com/mitigating-value-based-care-risks-with-ccm/

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is an effective care delivery tool that captures real-time patient data to guide clinicians to make timely interventions to care. During and beyond the pandemic, RPM has been effective in monitoring patients and preventing costly escalations.

Because RPM works, the market has seen increasing investments by various tech giants, particularly in the wearables market. Innovations on wearable devices are shifting from short-term fitness trackers to clinically-relevant diagnostic devices. Innovations in design and usability are set to improve the patient experience, which can positively impact outcomes. Moreover, adding AI analytics into the solution will also enhance its predictive capabilities.

RPM will have many preventative applications and is poised to be the standard delivery of care. This will prove valuable in chronic disease management, which may start a new line of wearables for chronic conditions that may use sensors for a seamless and effortless measurement of relevant patient data. To know more about upcoming RPM innovations, read our new blog, How RPM Can Go Mainstream.
https://myacpcare.com/how-rpm-can-go-mainstream/

Diseases come in all shapes and sizes. Knowing what ails you could help your provider make a good diagnosis and a treatment plan. It is important to understand the difference between an acute and chronic disease because it dictates the urgency and the seriousness of your condition.

So what is an acute disease?

It is an illness with a very quick onset but often goes away within a month. Examples of these are the common cold and the flu, both of which have easily recognizable symptoms like runny nose, sore throat, fever, cough, headache, sneezing, and the like. Acute diseases could also come with severe symptoms and complications in some organ systems as well as the digestive and respiratory systems. Other examples include broken bones, rotavirus, UTI, and pink eye.

What is a chronic disease?

This type of illness lasts for months, years, or a lifetime. It comes with age and is brought on by genetic predisposition, unhealthy habits like inactivity, smoking, or having a poor diet. Chronic diseases account for 7 out of 10 deaths and 86% of total healthcare expenditures. The most common examples are diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and arthritis. When these conditions worsen, they could result in a host of other complications. Hence, early diagnosis is crucial but more importantly, a sound chronic disease management program is needed to prevent an escalation or hospitalization.

Healthcare organizations, particularly primary care practices need to keep up with the digital innovations that are now happening in the healthcare scene since the pandemic. Many aspects of human life are now digitally enabled and automated so consumers are demanding that healthcare will continue to innovate to provide them with the best care that is readily available and accessible.

The need for digital transformation is now more urgent to drive growth both clinically and financially. A promising digital care solution is chronic disease management, which requires close monitoring of patients. Programs like Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) leverage digital technologies to provide multiple touchpoints in-between office visits and capture patient data for clinicians to make timely interventions.

Digitally enabled care has been effective in facilitating a better patient experience that positively impacts health outcomes. Digital technology is also a driver for profitable growth. For more helpful insights, read our new blog, How Practice Should Approach Digital Transformation.

https://myacpcare.com/digital-transformation/

Internist

Endocrinologist

To reduce healthcare spending on chronic care, interventions should focus more on the rising risk patient population. Rising risk refers to patients with one or more chronic conditions, who are not yet high utilizers of healthcare resources, and will most likely become high risk.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is the best solution that can capture a larger patient population to parse out the rising risk from other patients. With its preventative screenings, providers can address the many factors that may impact their patients’ rising risk trajectory.

CCM is a value-based care program that offers multiple touchpoints to patients in-between office visits. It is a solution with an effective patient engagement strategy for patients to actively participate in self-managing their care. To know more about how this virtual care solution reduces healthcare costs, read our new blog on Rising Risk: Intervene with Chronic Care Management.

https://myacpcare.com/intervene-with-chronic-care-management/

Virtual care solutions have driven innovation in care delivery by providing greater access to underserved and low-income patient populations through the use of digital technologies. It began as a safe alternative during the pandemic, but it has evolved to be a valuable tool in improving patient outcomes and quality of life.

Virtual solutions have provided various mechanisms to bridge the technology’s usability to its value. It has been used as an effective strategy to better engage patients in self-managing their care. The solution has also been used to overcome language and literacy barriers with intuitive software that integrates real-time translations, especially for populations with poor English proficiency.

Some of the noteworthy applications of virtual care are in chronic disease management through services like Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). Both CCM and RPM provide high-touch care that has prevented hospitalizations and reduced healthcare costs. To know more about how virtual care has transformed the healthcare landscape, read our new blog, Virtual Care Solutions and Its Practical Applications.

https://myacpcare.com/virtual-care-and-practical-applications/

Ways to Minimize the Effects of Chronic Conditions

The best way to manage a chronic disease is by making healthy lifestyle choices or adjustments. Though often said, many would agree that altering one’s routine is difficult to execute and challenging to maintain.

Aside from disease-specific ways to minimize the effects of chronic conditions, choosing to live healthy prevents complications and promotes overall health, which are the key goals in managing chronic conditions.

To prevent or manage a condition, here are the things every person needs to do:
1. Stop smoking
2. Eat healthily
3. Know what food to avoid
4. Have enough sleep
5. Get plenty of exercises
6. Keep a healthy weight
Though some diseases can be genetic, staying healthy makes it easier to manage a chronic illness. Moreover, providers can utilize various care management and coordination programs to help patients with their chronic conditions.

Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a virtual healthcare service providing multiple touch points in-between office visits to help patients abide by their care instructions. CCM is complemented by Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), which utilizes cellular-enabled devices to capture patient data and automatically transmit them in near real-time to clinicians for review. Both CCM and RPM synchronize care to prevent escalation or costly hospitalization.
https://myacpcare.com