Coalition urges Congress to improve access to chronic care management

A broad coalition of national healthcare organizations, including the AOA, recently sent a letter to Reps. Suzan DelBene and Mike Kelly expressing strong support for the Chronic Care Management Improvement Act. The legislation would eliminate the current 20% Medicare cost-sharing requirement for chronic care management (CCM) services, a key barrier that limits patient access to coordinated, high-quality care.

The coalition emphasized that CCM services, such as care coordination, medication management and ongoing patient monitoring, improve health outcomes and can reduce overall Medicare spending. However, despite these benefits, only about 4% of eligible Medicare beneficiaries currently utilize these services, largely due to cost and confusion around billing.

By removing financial barriers, the legislation aims to expand access to essential care coordination for millions of seniors with chronic conditions, while also supporting physicians in delivering more effective, team-based care. The AOA is actively monitoring this legislation and will continue to engage with policymakers to ensure the needs of osteopathic physicians and their patients are represented.