By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Diseases
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Diseases
Public Health

Improving Quality of Life for People with Chronic Diseases

KennethThorpe
KennethThorpe
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE



The Institute of Medicine (IOM) last week issued a report, Living Well with Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action, on the growing impact of chronic diseases in the United States and how the incidence of these highly manageable and largely preventable conditions are approaching “crisis proportions.”  Not only are they costly – the medical care costs of people afflicted with chronic diseases represent 75 percent of the $2 trillion in U.S. annual health care spending – but for those who suffer with them they are compromising the ability to live well.

Commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arthritis Foundation, the numbers in the report underscore what the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease focuses on daily – the critical need to tackle this epidemic head-on by identifying, supporting and investing in more evidence-based programs that focus on the prevention of chronic diseases and well-developed care coordination strategies for the one in two Americans struggling with one or more chronic diseases already.

More Read

Weekend Athlete: Should You Have Sex Friday Night?
Hospice Fraud on the Rise
If Anti-Vaccine Parents Rode The Magic School Bus
Why Is There a Critical Shortage of Primary Care Physicians?
Will the U.S. Lead on Global Health? Start with Vaccination.

A few of the findings of the IOM-appointed study committee include:

  • All chronic illnesses hold the potential to worsen the overall health of our nation by limiting an individual’s capacity to live well.
  • While a range of public policies have helped individuals with chronic illness, it is important to design and implement new public policies or explore promising approaches to further promote living well with chronic illnesses.
  • Enhanced collaboration among the public health, health care, and community non-health care sectors could produce better prevention and treatment outcomes for people living with chronic disease.

While the findings in the report paint a challenging picture of the work ahead, they also help re-shape and sharpen our collective focus on investing in and promoting ways to both better tackle the incidence of chronic disease and reduce health care spending.  In doing so, we can help transform our health care system from a sick-care system to a well-care system. 

It’s not enough to simply treat the symptoms of a chronic illness; we need to prevent them altogether and better manage them so that those with chronic illnesses enjoy not just an increased quantity in years, but more importantly, an improved quality of years.

TAGGED:chronic disease
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025

You Might also Like

Senior Fitness, Obesity and Medicaid – Weighty Issues!

April 20, 2011

World Obesity on the Rise

August 28, 2011
telehealth history
BusinessDiagnosticseHealthFinanceHealth ReformHome HealthMedical InnovationsPolicy & LawPublic HealthRemote DiagnosticsTechnology

The Evolution of Medicare Telehealth Reimbursement

June 12, 2013

Thoughts on Geraldine Ferraro, and Myeloma

March 28, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?