Chronic Disease Management
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Flatbush Family Practice
Alford Smith, MD
Family Medicine Practice located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
Around 60% of American adults have at least one chronic disease, and 40% of adults have two or more chronic conditions that need carefully coordinated care. Alford Smith, MD, and the team at Flatbush Family Practice, in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, provide personalized chronic disease management to preserve your health and maintain your quality of life. Call Flatbush Family Practice or schedule a consultation online today if you need expert care for a chronic disease.
Chronic Disease Management Q & A
What are chronic diseases?
Chronic diseases are long-term health conditions that usually don’t have cures. Common chronic diseases include:
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Mood disorders, such as depression
- Multiple sclerosis
- Crohn’s disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Fortunately, with personalized health care, you can manage your condition, relieve your symptoms, and protect your overall health and well-being.
What is chronic disease management?
Chronic disease management encompasses the medical treatments and lifestyle modifications you need to manage your disease. For example, if you have diabetes, your treatment program could include counseling and education about your condition, lifestyle modifications to your diet and exercise habits, and medication.
With 40% of Americans having more than one chronic disease, chronic disease management is critical to protecting your health. The team at Flatbush Family Practice provides highly personalized treatment programs to manage your conditions.
What is included in chronic disease management?
Chronic disease management includes several steps and services, which your provider carefully selects to meet your specific needs. While the details of treatment plans vary, they tend to have four components:
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the first step in chronic disease management. The team at Flatbush Family Practice provides thorough consultations, including physical exams and testing, to identify the condition or conditions interfering with your health.
Lifestyle advice
Once the team understands your needs, they provide counseling and advice to help address lifestyle factors that contribute to your condition.
For example, they might recommend dietary changes or adding exercise to your routine. Not only do good nutrition and exercise improve your body’s ability to function, but they’re also critical parts of a weight loss program. If you’re overweight or obese, your weight could contribute to your health problems.
Medication management
When necessary, your provider can also prescribe medicine to treat your condition and relieve disruptive symptoms.
If you take medication daily, you need to have routine medication management appointments so your provider can ensure that your prescription is helping your condition and not causing unwanted side effects. Your provider can adjust your prescription to maintain the positive impact.
Follow-up care
If you have a chronic disease, follow-up care is a critical part of your management program. You meet with your provider regularly, as often as needed based on the severity of your condition, so they can monitor your health and adjust your treatment program as needed.
Call Flatbush Family Practice today or make an appointment online for personalized chronic disease management.