How Promoting Healthy Aging can Help you Improve Patient Care and Increase Revenue
September is Healthy Aging Month, a designation that started in 1992. It is a time to spread the message that it is possible to adopt a healthier lifestyle at any age and mature gracefully.
People celebrate this month by incorporating habits like exercise, eating healthy food, and getting enough sleep into their daily routines. It is also a time for encouraging others to stay active and take steps to improve physical and mental health.
Elderly population in America
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, by 2030, adults aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history. In that year, all boomers will be older than 65 and they will make up 21% of the population, up from 15% today.
By 2060, nearly one in four Americans will be 65 years and older, the number of 85-plus will triple, and the country will add a half million centenarians. With this number of older adults, the country could see greater demands for healthcare, in-home caregiving and assisted living facilities.
Healthcare services should adapt to this population needs and promote healthy aging to improve quality of life. Medical practices can help promote healthy aging in the population while still increasing revenue.
Here are some strategies you can implement to help your elderly patients get the care they need while improving outcomes in your practice:
1. Encourage your patients to schedule preventative care appointments
Increase early assessment and diagnosis, risk reduction, prevention, and management of chronic diseases for people with or at risk of certain conditions.
Every patient can go once a year without any medical symptoms for a routine check-up and preventative care. Insurance companies are required to pay for these annual check-ups for all their subscribers without applying deductibles or copayments. Insurance covers 100% of the allowed amount.
Investigate how many of your patients have not set an appointment for that regular check-out in the last year. This is good for your older patients because they can find something that could save their lives. It is also good for the providers because they will have extra revenue that is covered entirely by the insurance company.
Clinical preventative services can prevent disease or find it early when treatment is more effective. These services can include:
- Screenings for chronic conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
- Immunizations for diseases such as flu and pneumonia.
- Counseling about personal health behaviors.
2. Monitor older adults with chronic care conditions through RPM and CCM
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) can help you detect symptoms or other signs that might be related to your patient´s illness. This will allow you to take better care of your elderly patients with chronic conditions.
RPM works as an extension to your practice that can help you monitor your patients continuously, improve patient outcomes, grow your practice profitability and more. This care system delivery is estimated to have the potential to save the healthcare industry $200 billion a year and allows the opportunity to transition from episodic care to preventative care.
Also, offering Chronic Care Management (CCM) to your elderly patients who experience chronic illnesses can help you get added revenue for your practice in your existing patient population. It can also elevate care for patients by engaging in their care plans, managing medications, adding support at home, and more.
Stay in constant contact with your elderly patients to develop a close relationship with them, improve patient care and engage them with your practice to increase loyalty.
3. Take advantage of your telemedicine services
Telemedicine has advanced from a curious form of clinical communication to a mainstay in the way providers and consumers interact. According to the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), some of the telemedicine benefits are:
- Creates value for payers, consumers, and providers.
- Increased consumer access.
- Enhanced reach of healthcare services.
- Reduced cost structure.
- 24/7 coverage.
- Higher customer satisfaction.
- Reduced cost structure.
Offering telemedicine to your elderly patients can help you monitor their health remotely and it can give them the option to take care of their health while at home. Some elders might struggle with getting to your practice facility due to disabilities or movement impairments.
Consider giving them this option and meet up with their relatives to make sure they set up everything correctly so patients in advanced age can take advantage of these services. Read more about how to optimize your telemedicine appointments on our blog 5 Tips to Optimize your Telemedicine Appointments
To learn more about how promoting health aging can help you improve patient care and increase revenue, get in touch with an AdvantEdge expert, or stay up to date on company and industry trends by visiting our Linkedin page.
