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Healthinaging.org is pleased to feature this guest blog from Anand K. Parekh, MD, MPH, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Science and Medicine). <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did you know that 75 million Americans, including three of four persons over 65, have multiple chronic conditions? This means the typical senior may not only have diabetes, he or she may also have arthritis, high blood pressure and perhaps even asthma.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a lot to manage.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And people with multiple chronic conditions are at higher risk for hospitalizations, hospital readmissions, and adverse drug events.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has put together a plan<\/a> to help in managing multiple health problems. The plan has four goals: to foster health care and public health system changes, to maximize the use of self-care management, to provide tools and information to health workers, and to facilitate research to fill knowledge gaps.<\/p>\n At HHS, we\u2019ve supported significant research on health outcomes among individuals with multiple chronic conditions and have created a nationwide research network. We\u2019ve worked with partners such as the National Quality Forum<\/a> to create tools that will facilitate the development of quality measures for this population. These measures help patients and families determine whether their healthcare providers and facilities are using well-tested approaches to caring for people with multiple conditions. And finally, we\u2019re working with the research and regulatory community to ensure that individuals with multiple chronic conditions are included in research studies.<\/p>\n In addition, the Affordable Care Act<\/a> provides new and innovative ways to tackle this public health challenge. Millions of Americans with multiple chronic conditions are now eligible for preventive care, such as flu shots, blood pressure and cholesterol tests, mammograms, and colonoscopies – free of charge. Many are also participating in new care coordination models, such as \u201cmedical homes\u201d and \u201caccountable care organizations,\u201d which promote the use of electronic health records and other mechanisms for managing patient care, so that those with multiple doctors can be confident that all t<\/em>heir doctors have the information they need.<\/p>\n So, if you have multiple chronic conditions, here are four tips that may be helpful:<\/p>\n By taking these four steps, people with multiple chronic conditions can optimize their health status and quality of life.<\/p>\n The American Geriatrics Society\u2019s<\/a> guiding principles<\/a> on managing the care of older adults with multiple health problems builds on our work at HHS. We are pleased to share and promote our common goal of optimizing the health and quality of life for older adults with multiple chronic conditions.<\/p>\n Tell us about your experiences caring for friends and family or patients with multiple health problems, or how you\u2019ve managed your own complex health issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Healthinaging.org is pleased to feature this guest blog from Anand K. Parekh, MD, MPH, HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Science and Medicine). Did you know that 75 million Americans, including three of four persons over 65, have … Continue reading \n