"While this data might come as a surprise to many, it illustrates the urgent need to improve prevention and wellness among seniors as well as younger Americans," said Thorpe, who noted that more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries are treated for five or more chronic conditions each year, and ninety-nine percent of every health care dollar spent in Medicare is for treating patients with chronic conditions.

While arresting the growth in chronic disease will require a multifaceted, long-term approach one immediate solution promoted by Thorpe is adoption of community health teams and other care coordination models in Medicare, as beneficiaries often receive episodic care from multiple providers who rarely coordinate the care they deliver.  

"Community Health Teams are one of several ways to better coordinate health care for seniors in order to improve health outcomes and reduce unnecessary spending in Medicare," said Thorpe, who emphasized that "inaction is not an option."

Mary Rubino of Health Affairs, whose organization hosted the briefing along with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Emory University's Center for Entitlement Reform and the PFCD, moderated the discussion. The article by Thorpe and his co-authors was published online on Feb. 18, and was partially funded by a grant from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. More information can be found on the PFCD's Web site at www.fightchronicdisease.

SOURCE Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease