Vanguard Now Offering Chronic Care Management

VERONA, NJ — Oct. 15, 2015 — Vanguard Medical Group is now offering Chronic Care Management Services for Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions. Vanguard’s expansion into this service line reinforces the group’s ability to help patients of all ages navigate and maximize the utilization of available health services. CCM is designed to reduce hospitalization and emergency room visits, and reduce costs to patients and Medicare.

“Vanguard Medical Group’s patient-centered primary care philosophy is to continue to evolve to serve patients by offering the comprehensive, evidence based medical services that meet individuals’ needs while controlling the cost of health care services,” said Thomas McCarrick, M.D., chief medical officer of Vanguard Medical Group. “The new CCM program launched in January 2015 by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients with higher acuity and risk to benefit from extended care management services and reduce overall healthcare costs to both the patient and Medicare.”

The U.S. chronic illness burden is increasing, and prevention and management of chronic disease  are best performed by multidisciplinary teams in primary care and public health. Based on statistics collected by Health Affairs, a leading journal of health policy, 10 years ago, 63 million people had multiple chronic illnesses, and that number is estimated to reach 81 million in 2020.1 The challenge is controlling and managing this crisis while keeping the cost of health care in check. Medicare’s CCM services program is one of the solutions.

According to CMS, CCM offers patients with two or more chronic medical conditions:

• Access to care management services 24/7.
• Continuity of care, including a plan of care that is based on the patient’s choice, which is available electronically to all of the patient’s health care providers.
• Management of care between multiple health care providers.
• Coordination with home- and community-based clinical service providers.
• Family/caregiver input.

Patients with chronic conditions, disabilities or significant impairments, including osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, COPD, congestive heart failure, active cancer and MS, are candidates for the program. The CCM program is designed to reduce hospitalization and emergency room visits and reduce costs to patients and Medicare.

“Most individuals with multiple chronic illnesses require medical attention from more than one medical professional, and care management is critical so that everyone involved in the patient’s well-being understands the care being provided, from the patient, his/her family and caregivers to all health care providers. Medicare’s CCM services ensure that health care is suitable, current and supervised,” added Janet Duni, RN, MPA, Director of Care Coordination for Vanguard.

About Vanguard Medical Group

Vanguard Medical Group P.C. is a regional primary care practice serving more than 70,000 active patients in 10 locations throughout Northern and Central New Jersey. Vanguard is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a patient-centered medical home. A PCMH is a primary care practice where health care professionals work as a team to provide patients with care that is tailored to meet their specific needs and to ensure they have the resources to make healthy choices. The team also coordinates patient care with other health care specialists in the community. The practice becomes the patients’ “home” for preventive, chronic and ambulatory care. For more information, visit vanguardmedgroup.com.

Media Contact: 

Sergeant Marketing | Nancy Sergeant, 973-334-6666, nsergeant@sergeantmarketing.com