The Costs of Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are one of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. According to the CDC, six in 10 adults have a chronic disease, and four in 10 have two or more. These diseases significantly impact the health and quality of life of patients and their families. They also affect health care costs, leaving payers with the challenge of covering care for their patients. 

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that around $1.65 trillion is spent treating patients with one or more chronic diseases. 75% of the $2.2 trillion we spend on healthcare each year goes to cost for the treatment of chronic illnesses. (http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/sites/default/files/docs/PFCD_ChronDisease_FactSheet3Final.pdf)

The cost of treatment is projected to rise in the coming years, with some reports saying the cost could balloon to about $6 trillion by 2050.

Both the number of affected and the cost of treatment will continue to rise despite the prevention and management steps taken by the government unless everyone joins in and embraces certain changes in their lifestyle. 

Shifting the Paradigm to Improve Outcomes

Dr. William Ferro, the founder of Betr Health, made it his mission to reverse a multitude of symptoms, syndromes, and diseases, including chronic illnesses. Betr Health was built on the foundation of lifestyle modification with a cornerstone around restoring health. 

In our podcast interview, he said, “We are really representing a paradigm shift through change. A lot of times, we get stuck in health care. We focus on behavior change. That behavior comes with its own paradigm. The human body…is amazing. Infinite amounts of wisdom in there. Inherent recuperative powers to heal itself.”

“We’ve decided that what if the paradigm was — This person’s already whole and complete. This person is not a bad person. This person does not have a lack of willpower. They do not have some, in most cases a genetic issue. They’re just under stress.”

” And a body under stress is designed to have dysfunction. The more dysfunction it has it will have signs and symptoms and the more signs and symptoms; you can turn into a chronic condition.”

“We shifted the paradigm to let the inherent recuperative powers actually heal itself. That is a simple approach and it is the most exciting. We’re shifting the paradigm and we’re seeing incredible outcomes.” 

Dr. Ferro’s simple paradigm shift is to allow the natural recuperative powers to heal the body is quite a major difference from modern Western medicine where treatment is the immediate course of action. 

He believed that by making simple yet powerful lifestyle changes, it is possible to reverse and prevent the progression of many chronic illnesses. 

He shared, “90% of the individuals we work with actually get there. Will improve their mood, their sleep, their energy, their weight, and blood labs. and they are going to do it sustainably. When you are accomplishing this with such high success rates, this is going to prevent and reverse chronic disease.”

That is adding incredible value to healthcare. When individuals see results, they become more motivated to continue seeing results. 

Dr. Ferro further said, “For the individual, that’s an amazing value proposition. For the healthcare ecosystem, you are saving a lot of money. A lot of unnecessary costs, a lot of unnecessary visits to the doctor on service to the hospital. These things all should have been avoided, to begin within the first place. ” 

“We have to be our own best vehicle to protect ourselves against cancer” he added. 

Betr Health is making an impact on patient’s lives, reducing cost as patients continue to make better choices. The company’s homepage is proof of how many people’s lives it has changed for the better. Clients have been giving this company rave reviews and five stars.

Dr. Ferro attributes his company’s success to the change in the mindset of the clients. He explained that while companies and organizations thought of losing weight as a positive thing, their process adds stress to the body, resulting in minimal change. 

Betr Health’s perspective is through resetting the digestive system in the first month and elimination introduction in the second month. Clients are required to take photos of their food and drinks. Coaches provide invaluable support, as do group calls. 

Betr Health places the accountability back to the clients but in a way that they find the process doable and easy to maintain. Its process is so effective that Paul Markovich, CEO of Blue Shield of California recently got on stage and said that Betr Health is reversing diabetes in this population and saving him $150 to $250 per member per month. That is a huge saving for the payer, and more importantly, it means better health and quality of life for the clients. 

Another thing that is impressive about Betr Health is that it only gets reimbursed when clients get significant outcomes. Dr. Ferro said, “The health plans only pay us for success. So, there’s really no risk opportunity here.”

This business proposition is unheard of. It shows confidence in the product and service. It is also a great example of value-based care. 

Whether you or your family member has a chronic disease, or you simply want to get rid of that extra ten pounds you gained last year, you cannot go wrong with Betr Health. 

Listen or download my interview with Dr. Ferro here: https://outcomesrocket.health/betrhealth/2020/03/

For more exciting conversations about innovations in healthcare, visit https://outcomesrocket.health/.