Abstract 19090: Top Patient Initiated Uses of the Chronic Care Management Phone Line in a Rural Setting Reported Through Patient Survey

Introduction: Patients can utilize Medicare’s Chronic Care Management [CCM] in different ways depending on their specific needs and conditions. It is important to have an understanding of patient utilization of this service in order to better tailor the program to their needs. Patient access to a CCM program has previously been found to reduce health expenditures, and improve engagement between the patient and the medical facility.

Research Question: How do patients utilize the CCM phone line when it comes to their medical needs?

Goal: The goal was to determine the top patient-initiated uses of the CCM phone line.

Methods: An anonymized survey was sent out via email to patients enrolled in the CCM program of our rural clinic. Patients were asked to indicate how they have used the CCM phone line in the last 6 months. Patients also responded to their experiences with CCM as it relates to callback time and perception of access to providers. Finally, patients were asked if they would benefit from receiving a quarterly newsletter on current innovation in healthcare as part of CCM. Percentages were calculated based on patient responses.

Results: Patients responded to some or all questions of the survey (N = 477). When asked, 94.78% of patients reported receiving a response within 24 hours after calling in regards to their specific request. In addition, 95.35% of patients affirmed that CCM provides an easier and more efficient access for patients to clinical providers when a need or concern arises than traditional clinical care. When asked about receiving a healthcare innovations newsletter as part of CCM, 63.48% of patients thought it would be beneficial.

Conclusion: Patients utilized the Chronic Care Management Phone Line to accomplish various tasks. In conclusion, the majority of patients used the service to schedule appointments, request medication refills, and seek medical advice while agreeing that medical education (newsletter) could be a potentially beneficial aspect of CCM.