Empowering Patients: The Impact of Chronic Care Software on Engagement

meta image for Empowering Patients: The Impact of Chronic Care Software on Engagement

The estimated number of patients suffering from chronic conditions in the United States has crossed 133 million. That’s almost one-third of the total population. This might give you a brief idea of how the US healthcare system is busy providing care services to one fragment of the total patient population.

Virtual care has indeed bridged the accessibility gap and took some burden off the healthcare industry. Oftentimes, the lack of patient engagement with their care resulted in poor outcomes and lower acute care use. Patient engagement is equally important as patient care, as it has a psychological impact on the patient and makes them adhere to the dedicated treatment and care plan.

Even studies have suggested that patients who are engaged with their care show better results than those who are not. Finding a way to keep the patient engaged and moving in this era of digital healthcare is where most healthcare providers like you hesitate to make a decision.

But sometimes, it’s just a change of perspective that can solve problems for you. Chronic Care Management Software or CCM software is not only an effective tool that can streamline your practice but also plays a crucial role in healthcare delivery.

Let’s find out how the CCM software can help you improve patient engagement in the CCM program.
Document
Top 10 Must-Have Features in CCM Software

Benefits of Improved Patient Engagement

Being a healthcare provider, you must know that better patient engagement leads to improved health outcomes. Though chronic care management software seems to blur the lines of patient engagement in CCM, the case is actually quite the opposite. Here are some of the benefits of improved patient engagement in CCM with customized chronic care management software:

1. Increased Patient Activation

eCareMD, a patient-centric customized chronic care software, has been built in such a way that it gives the patient more freedom in their care. It keeps the patient at the center of every care service being provided to them and gives them more control of their health. This increases patient activation, where the patient proactively participates in the care plan and manages their health.
To achieve this, the software keeps the patient data as a reference point, which greatly boosts the patient’s confidence. This, acting as the point of reference, encourages patients to manage their conditions and actively involve them in every step that has been taken regarding their chronic condition.

2. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration

Chronic care management software enhances patient communication and education with better coordination between patient care teams, which traditionally is only possible when the patient is physically present. In case of any complications or queries regarding their health, patients can easily reach out to the providers. This is a great initiative to strengthen the patient-provider relationship, which increases patient adherence and the curation of personalized care plans.

3. Better Health Outcomes

CCM software increases the willingness of the patient to actively participate in their care and health. The psychological impact it has on the patient directly contributes to better disease management and control. This encourages patients to actively participate in creating personalized care plans for their conditions.

Even the stats from 2021 show a 17% reduction in hospital readmission; this is the positive impact that CCM software has on patients and their health outcomes.

Key Features Fostering Higher Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is simple and can be defined as the active participation of the patient in their care with cooperation with the healthcare provider. The purpose of active patient engagement in CCM is to maximize health outcomes and improve the experience of care services.
But how can software help you achieve that?
Well the secret to this lies in the features that the software is providing to both the patients and providers. Without further ado, let’s explore the features in CCM software that fosters higher patient engagement.

1. Two-way Communication Channels

As the common saying goes, ‘Communication is the key,’ the communication channels provided in chronic care management software should facilitate two-way communication of increasing patient engagement. With access to secure messaging features, both patients can proactively start a conversation with the care manager in case of any inconvenience or confusion regarding treatment plan.

Furthermore, even the healthcare providers can use these communication channels to directly connect with the patient. From allowing them to connect via video or audio calls to text messages, easy preventive care is enabled. This way the software enables quick connectivity which directly results in higher patient engagement and increased adherence to care plans.

2. Education Resources & Reminders

If you have a look at the standard procedure of healthcare practices, educating the patient about their condition is crucial. Though during the start of the CCM program, the patient is briefed about the conditions they are suffering from, with researchers adding more education material regarding the conditions, the patient needs to be updated about it.
But education is something more than that. From preventive measures to lifestyle changes, it covers everything. It not only makes the patient serious about their health resulting in better engagement and treatment adherence.
The CCM software here allows you to share education material with the patients. The option of personally tailored education material with disease management tips further makes the patient feel that they are in good hands. Along with that, with medication reminders, you can further make sure that the patient is reminded about his medication, resulting in higher adherence to medication, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes.

3. Self-monitoring Tools & Feedbacks

When you show the patient the progress they have made in their health condition, it is natural for them to be actively involved in the care plan and stick to the assigned treatment. This is where easy-to-use self-monitoring tools into the chronic care management software come into picture. It allows the patient to manage their care proactively by tracking vitals, symptoms and progress.

Self-monitoring tools further act as an evidence for the patient to track their progress. Such activities not only encourage patients to facilitate communication with the provider but also proactively participate in the care planning and stick to it.

4. Goal Setting & Progress Tracking

The best part about chronic care management software is that it is developed in a way that keeps patients at the center of every care action being provided to them. The major portion of this is goal setting. Since CMS requires healthcare providers to adopt step-by-step methods to achieve the desired healthcare results, involving patients in deciding care plans and setting goals becomes crucial.

Active patient participation not only enables providing personalized care but also in setting achievable goals with effective patient-provider collaboration. To simplify this and gain higher patient engagement, the chronic care management software provides you with personalized dashboards for patients to actively study their condition and track progress with respect to the decided care plan.

5. Gamification & Rewards

As kids, humans have identified that games are one of the best ways to generate interest and keep them engaged in one particular activity. This same concept when applied to providing care services can be a revolutionary thing in driving higher patient engagement, better adherence to medication and generating interest in healthcare activities.
Adding fun elements in creating awareness and care delivery can be an interesting way to gain higher patient engagement. For example, one of the software has created a casino slot game for the patient population being diagnosed with health conditions and when the patients achieved a milestone, they were rewarded with different things.
This directly impacted the patient engagement rate and many of the patients showed a positive progress in the health condition.

Overcoming Barriers to Patient Engagement

The most common barriers to patient engagement are often related to technology access and literacy. Being a healthcare provider, you must understand that not everyone is familiar with technology and knows how to use healthcare technology solutions.
Along with that, privacy concerns are some of the other barriers that you need to explain to the patient. Proper education and extensive hands-on training for patients and providers are needed to overcome such challenges. Along with that, explain to the patient the functionality of the CCM software and how it will help them improve their health.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the chronic care management software becomes the face of your healthcare practice. It will be the first place for your patients to interact with you, and the features and functionalities will contribute directly to keeping the patients engaged with their healthcare.

However, since your healthcare practice is different and works in a unique way, it is important to choose the right software that addresses your specific needs and requirements. Leverage the power of new technologies and improve the effectiveness of your CMS CCM program with a perfect customized CCM software like eCareMD.

Document
Download Free eBook to 5 Practical Tips to Boost Patient Engagement with Chronic Care Management Software
Download now

Frequently Asked Question’s

The benefits of Chronic Care Management Software for Patient Engagement are:

  • Personalized Care Plan

  • Shared Decision Making

  • Medication and Treatment Adherence

  • Reduced Hospital Readmission and Emergency Visits
Yes, chronic care management software can be customized to increase patient interactions with features like alerts and notifications, secure messaging, interactive patient portals, etc.
Technology helps patients access healthcare services from providers in the virtual healthcare landscape. By giving patients more control of their health it keeps the patients engaged directly or indirectly leading to better health outcomes.
Patient engagement in chronic care management programs allows patients to be proactive and involved in making informed care decisions. This gives them more control over their health, leading to better treatment adherence and improved health outcomes.

Important features in CCM software for patient engagement:

  • Secure Messaging

  • Appointment Scheduling and Reminders

  • Care Team Coordination

  • Health Dashboards

  • Personalized Educational Resources

  • Goal Setting and Tracking

  • Actionable Reminders and Alerts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Table of Contents Toggle Table of Content

Generative AI whitepaper

Free Guide to Healthcare Software Adoption & Implementation

Download Now

Get Started with eCareMD

Free for 30 days, no credit card required

© 2024 eCareMD A product by Medarch Inc.