Health Beyond Habits: Tackling Chronic Conditions with Achievable Outcomes

The American Medical Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have already done the heavy lifting.

An abundance of research, case studies, and warnings, all stressing the importance of nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes, has been imparted to patients by their doctors over and over again. Yet, the incidence of type 2 diabetes, cardio-metabolic disorders, and chronic conditions continues to rise.

Lifestyle coaches and nutritional specialists are everywhere on social media, in bookstands, in TED talks, and on magazine racks. They discuss how we can improve population health by embracing lifestyle changes, including nutritional counseling, and reducing the costly negative social determinants of health, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise.

While these are valid and noble goals, one has to ask: are they achievable expectations for the population? Are lifestyle changes possible on a massive scale?

It's crucial to approach this challenge with a realistic mindset.

Finding solutions to improve population health involves collectively acknowledging and addressing challenges faced by entire populations, considering their complex socioeconomic, clinical, genetic, geographic, and demographic factors.

Metabolic Disease

A good example is metabolic disease. “Metabolic diseases refer to a broad term that includes all diseases that result from disturbances in the body’s biochemical metabolism.”

While there are rare genetic links to metabolic disease, they are rare.

Metabolic syndrome “feeds into the spread of diseases like type 2 diabetes, coronary diseases, stroke, and other disabilities. The total cost of metabolic disorders in healthcare and lost productivity is in the trillions.”

So, Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and a variety of other acute and chronic diseases emanate from metabolic disorders, which are primarily related to being overweight or obese. It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population is overweight or obese.

And it is also estimated that one in three adult Americans have Metabolic Syndrome.”

Among the culprits for the jaw-dropping incidence of obesity and metabolic disorders are ultra-processed foods and foods that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

While more research is needed, recent studies have found that, while socioeconomic factors are associated with diet, they have a minimal association with consuming UFPs and high-fructose additives in foods.

Realistic Solutions to Manage Chronic Disease in the Population

The present trend is only preventable if a magic cure is found, which is unlikely. Only concerted global, governmental, regulatory, and societal efforts can hope to change this dangerous trajectory of chronic disease resulting from metabolic disorders.

The everyday reality that doctors, hospitals, and clinicians face is that chronic disease is not getting better anytime soon - and that clinical practices and healthcare providers MUST find effective ways to manage chronic disease – without the burnout and stress caused by the related, formidable challenge.

Chronic Disease Management and Remote Patient Monitoring

Across ACOs, Value-Based Care Organizations, Physician Clinics, and hospital-owned practices, emerging Remote Patient Monitoring and Chronic Care Management solutions are being implemented at a rapid pace. To reduce the burnout and stress of the practice staff, these solutions often outsource the program requirements to qualified clinical professionals. It is these professionals who continually monitor patients and follow physician-developed care plans.

Most notably, CMS is rapidly expanding sets of billable CPT codes that provide reimbursement to physicians and practices that need supplemental assistance in managing the increasing level of disease—often a result of metabolic disorders, although many chronic diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, have other non-metabolic etiologies.

Seek a Chronic Disease Management and Remote Patient Monitoring Solution

I would encourage any practice, hospital, physician, or caregiver to assess the emerging chronic care management and remote patient monitoring solutions, many of which are directly integrated into EHRs and practice management systems.

I would also encourage practices to seek solutions that can run in autonomous or hybrid models, where clinic staff are not primarily responsible for staffing the chronic disease management and remote patient monitoring solution.

More to follow – and thank you for subscribing.

John Simmerling

Chief Science Officer