The goal of disease management is to improve healthcare outcomes, reduce costs, and improve the quality of life for patients with serious illness. By concentrating our effort on managing these illnesses we can slow the progression of these serious diseases. It’s a multi-faceted approach that focuses on patient education, medication management, and developing a long-term care plan to help reduce the stresses of long-term illnesses.

AMA Medical Group helps patients with a coordinated series of healthcare interventions with the goal of preventing complications. This effort empowers patients with a plan of care that focuses on self-management while continuously monitoring the status of their health. We work with a team of providers to help patients manage their illnesses and live life as fully as they possibly can.

AMA Medical Group serves as the hub of advanced care and caring for patients seeking treatment for the following conditions: COPD, blood clots (Coumadin therapy), diabetes heart disease, and stroke.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common long-term illness that can cause other conditions (comorbidities) to occur. Comprehensive care includes personalized treatment and the coordination of multiple healthcare providers to work closely together to control the illness. These providers could include a respiratory therapist, a nurse, a doctor, a physician’s assistant, a pharmacist, and even a dietician. 

COPD is a complex illness so management consists of everything from medication to behavioral changes to help control flare ups of the disease.

Blood clots (Coumadin Therapy)

Coumadin therapy is designed to prevent harmful blood clots in the body. If left untreated, these blood clots cause a stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, or a pulmonary embolism. Managing this medication requires regular medical supervision because long-term use of this therapy can cause serious side effects. 

Coumadin therapy is a life-saver for many patients, but interactions with other medications or even certain foods or diet changes, can cause problems. Comprehensive disease management of patients undergoing coumadin therapy includes medication adjustments, counseling, dietary changes, and careful monitoring of this powerful treatment.

Diabetes 

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. It causes a number of other illnesses that can be severely debilitating or life-threatening, including:

• Adult blindness
• Heart disease
• Kidney failure
• Lower-extremity amputations
• Stroke

Comprehensive Disease Management of diabetes requires constant management of a patient’s blood sugar levels. This process requires extensive patient and caregiver education along with behavioral counseling to help each person afflicted with the disease make better lifestyle choices to improve their health.

Some of the self-care behaviors that AMA Medical Group teaches diabetes patients includes:

• Being more active
• Healthy eating
• Self-monitoring of symptoms
• Taking medication
• Troubleshooting their health symptoms

Together with our patients, our goal is to help reduce the risks of disease complications and prevent the illness from getting worse over time.

Heart Disease

A diagnosis of heart disease can be frightening, but AMA Medical Group is here to stand beside you to develop a long-term care plan to help you manage your illness. While each diagnosis is as different as each patient, we typically offer a comprehensive disease treatment regimen that can help patients receive care in the following areas:

• Cardiac or other rehabilitation 
• Managing with fatigue, fear, or pain from the illness
• Performing exercises to maintain strength and flexibility
• Improving nutrition and diet by reducing sodium
• Managing depression
• Maintaining low cholesterol 
• Controlling blood pressure
• Medication monitoring
• Developing relaxation techniques
• Smoking cessation
• Understanding self-care techniques 

Our focus is to educate patients so they know the common signs and symptoms of the progression of heart disease, so they can be prepared to seek life-saving treatment more quickly. We teach patients to measure weight and blood pressure and to have a plan for what to do in the event of a crisis.

Stroke

The goal of disease management after a stroke is to reduce the risk factors associated with recurrence of the disease. Controlling blood pressure and reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) with medication are two important approaches to manage the illness. Behavioral management includes better diet, more exercise, reducing alcohol consumption, and quitting smoking. This process toward better health can also focus on overcoming the residual physical impacts of having a stroke.

At AMA Medical Group, we work in partnership with our patients to monitor health, provide care, and guide you through the complexities of specialty, primary, and hospital treatments. Let us know how we can help with your comprehensive disease management. Contact us here.