Hypertension and diabetes are two of the most common chronic conditions in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of Americans have hypertension — and only about 1 in 4 have it under control. The numbers for diabetes are not much better, with around 11 percent of the U.S. population dealing with the disease (and prediabetes numbers are much higher).
Consistently managing these conditions is essential to avoid serious complications and improve health outcomes. While primary care providers play a critical role in addressing these conditions, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) — federally funded nonprofit health centers that serve medically underserved populations — have been shown to have greater success in controlling hypertension and diabetes compared to non-FQ primary care providers.
Why is that? There are three main factors that account for this difference:
1. Embracing Health Technologies and Solutions
“We just don’t have the time or resources.” That’s a common refrain when non-FQHCs are faced with a new technology. Leadership may immediately balk at a new service, thinking that it will disrupt current operations and lead to countless headaches and hoops to jump through. But with the right partner, these technologies can fit seamlessly into any organization’s workflow — and that’s something that leading FQHCs understand.
The use of innovative technology and solutions in managing hypertension and diabetes by FQHCs is a crucial factor that contributes to their success. Leading FQHCs use chronic care management and remote patient monitoring services to coordinate care and provide timely feedback to patients regularly. This seamless process of care enables providers to track and monitor patients’ critical biometric data like blood glucose and pressure, helping in early detection and prevention of complications. Chronic care management and remote patient monitoring programs can also help increase patient engagement and improve adherence to treatment plans. In short, the FQHC care management technology can help make everyone’s lives easier and better.
2. A Community Focus
By definition, FQHCs provide care to diverse populations. And leading FQHCs truly know their audiences inside and out. Given that FQHCs focus on underserved groups and areas, they’re more likely to be trained in cultural competency and provide patient-centered care that caters to their patients’ values. Cultural competency comes with building partnerships with community groups, helping FQHCs earn trust and increase buy-in from the people they serve.
One big example of community partnerships: health education programs aimed at promoting healthy behaviors and disease prevention. This proactive approach empowers patients with the knowledge and skills to lead healthy and productive lives. They also help identify chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes before they get worse.
3. Collaborative Care Teams
FQHCs are known to have a team-based approach to care that addresses patients’ comprehensive needs, from medical to social determinants. These teams often include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, care managers, and community health workers. The collaborative approach to care allows all team members to work together to develop effective care plans that can manage patients’ chronic conditions, including hypertension and diabetes.
By engaging all team members actively, information is passed quickly, and a patient’s health status can be monitored comprehensively. Care coordination also establishes accountability and fosters the exchange of best practices, improving access to care and reducing healthcare costs.
How TimeDoc Health Can Help Your Healthcare Organization
Whether your organization is an FQHC or not, the end goal is the same: helping patients. And TimeDoc Health’s FQHC CCM strategies and services give you the power to focus on what’s truly important.
Our innovative FQHC CCM solution provides a streamlined platform that enables provider teams to document time, manage patient profiles, identify high-risk patients, and create metric-based reports to deliver the best possible patient care.
Your Program, Your Way
How you choose to deploy TimeDoc Health’s industry-leading care management platform is entirely up to you. With the ability to select from individual services to fill your existing program’s gaps, you and your team have a customized solution, expanding care for patients while enhancing revenue for your organization. With our services, you can do the following:
- Automate care planning
- Reduce time spent on CCM billing
- Maintain Medicare program compliance
- Increase care staff efficiency
- And more!
