Medicare can cut 5% to 10% of its total spending if it focuses on chronic disease prevention and coordinated care for those with chronic conditions, a health policy analyst said Thursday.
Roughly 25% of Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes — a number that has doubled in 15 years — and more than 90% of spending is associated with patients with chronic conditions, said Ken Thorpe, PhD, health policy professor at Emory University in Atlanta, in a conference call with reporters.
But rather than address this cohort of troublesome patients as a way to curb Medicare spending, Washington policymakers eyeing Medicare as a way to reduce federal spending are focusing their efforts elsewhere. READ FULL ARTICLE >>