Published date: 2025-10-15 Last updated: 2025-12-19
Chronic diseases are generally defined as long-term health conditions that persist for one year or more require continuous medical management, or impair daily activities. In the United States, the most common chronic diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and chronic lung disease.Although most chronic conditions are not curable,, long-term management strategies can reduce the risk of serious complications and enhance overall quality of life.
According to the CDC, chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. About 6 in 10 adults have at least one chronic disease, and 4 in 10 adults are living with two or more. Chronic disease care represents the majority of U.S. healthcare spending, underscoring that chronic disease management is both a matter of individual health and a central challenge for public health systems and national healthcare economy.
So, what is chronic disease management? According to HealthCare.gov, chronic disease management is an integrated approach to care that includes regular screening, continuous monitoring, coordinated treatment, patient education, and lifestyle support. Its goal is to help patients effectively manage their conditions, minimize symptoms and acute medical events, and improve long-term quality of life.
From FaceHeart’s perspective, the future of chronic disease management lies in data continuity and convenience. Traditional models rely heavily on scheduled clinic visits and patient self-reporting, which often resulting in incomplete, delayed, or subjective health data between appointments. Physicians are left with fragmented snapshots that may not accurately reflect a patient’s day-to-day health status.
FaceHeart believes that with the advancement of telemedicine and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) tools, non-invasive technologies—such as using a smartphone camera—could enable continuous collection of key physiological indicators like heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen in daily life. By bridging the gaps in conventional monitoring, contactless software as a medical device enable early detection of clinical abnormalities and empower patients with real-time, personalized insights into their health.
While chronic diseases are inherently long-term, the critical challenge lies in integrating effective disease management into patients’ daily lives This remains a key focus of FaceHeart’s mission.
With an aging population and widespread lifestyle-related risk factors, the burden of chronic disease in the United States remains persistently high. Chronic diseases are among the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., as well as a major driver of rising healthcare costs.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced several care management services, among which Chronic Care Management (CCM) is specifically designed for beneficiaries with two or more chronic conditions. Under this program, healthcare providers are reimbursed for delivering monthly care coordination and personalized support, such as:
The primary goal of CCM is to improve continuity of care, ensuring that patients with multiple chronic conditions receive consistent, coordinated, and proactive healthcare.
Remote Patient Monitoring allows healthcare providers to collect and transmit patients’ physiological data remotely—such as weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, and respiratory flow—from outside of traditional clinical settings. These real-time insights support timely decision-making, allowing accelerated clinical response.In recent years, the adoption of RPM has grown rapidly, reflecting its value in supporting chronic disease management and reducing unnecessary hospital visits. At the same time, this growth has also drawn increased regulatory attention, with oversight agencies emphasizing the importance of compliance, accurate reporting, and appropriate clinical use.
From FaceHeart’s perspective, although chronic disease management in the U.S. is gradually integrating Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), there are still two major areas for practical improvement:
From this perspective, the future of chronic disease management lies not in generating more data, but in making data collection easier, more seamless, and more accessible.. Only then can the approach align with CMS policy directions (CCM + RPM) while also advancing public health equity goals by reducing barriers for vulnerable populations.
For further reading:What Is Remote Vital Signs Monitoring? Comprehensive Health Monitoring Insights!
Effective chronic disease management delivers meaningful benefits at the patient level, improving health outcomes and overall well-being.
For healthcare institutions and clinical teams, chronic disease management offers a strategic advantage by improving care quality, enhancing operational efficiency, and supporting alignment with value-based care models.
Chronic disease management delivers measurable benefits at the population level by reducing healthcare costs, addressing health disparities, and supporting workforce productivity.
Digital health technologies are transforming chronic disease management by enabling continuous monitoring, personalized care, and improved patient engagement.
FaceHeart offers video-based physiological signal monitoring technology that measures heart rate, blood oxygen, and respiratory rate using a smartphone camera. These monitored indicators align with the examples outlined by CMS for Remote Patient Monitoring. Therefore, within the framework of proper healthcare workflows and compliance standards, FaceHeart’s technology holds strong potential for integration into remote monitoring applications.
While chronic disease management has demonstrated effectiveness in improving health outcomes and reducing emergency medical events, significant practical challenges remain in its implementation.
Changing daily habits is a persistent challenge in chronic disease management. Even when patients participate in self-management education programs, many struggle to maintain behaviors such as healthy eating, regular exercise, and medication adherence over time. These difficulties are often compounded by psychological stress, limited family support, and unsupportive social or environmental conditions.
Access to chronic disease management is often limited by cost. Although Medicare has introduced reimburses service for CCM and RPM, many patients–particularly those who are uninsured or have low income–still face financial barriers that restricted their ability to participate in consistent and long-term care.
As telehealth and digital health tools become more widely integrated into chronic disease management, patient data privacy and security have become critical concerns. In the U.S., healthcare providers must comply with HIPAA regulations, ensuring that patient data is securely collected, transmitted, and stored throughout the care process..
According to an OIG report, between 2019 and 2022, Medicare’s use of RPM grew rapidly, but some beneficiaries did not fully meet the three required service components(education and setup, device supply, and treatment management). This highlights the need for stronger oversight and compliance in the rollout of RPM services.
Limited access to medical devices remains a major barrier in underserved and rural communities.For many low-income patients, even with support from government or community programs, essential monitoring hardware is difficult to obtain or maintain, leaving these groups excluded from care and widening existing health disparities.
From FaceHeart’s perspective, the key challenge is making medical-grade monitoring both accessible and easy to use, especially for undeserved populations who face barriers to participate in remote care. While existing RPM tools can collect physiological data, patients often forget or find it cumbersome to use them daily. This creates data gaps that undermine clinical decision-making.
FaceHeart believes that lowering the barrier to device use is key to solving this challenge. By using everyday cameras–such as those on smartphones, tablets, or during telehealth video visits–to automatically capture vital signs like heart rate and blood oxygen levels, continuous monitoring becomes more practical and scalable. This approach minimizes reliance on specialized hardware and improves accessibility for underserved and rural populations, supporting the broader goals of healthcare equity.
FaceHeart is committed to enhancing chronic disease management across different scenarios. The following application examples demonstrate how our technology can be effectively applied in real-world settings:
| Aspect | Traditional Chronic Disease Management | FaceHeart-Enabled Management |
| Monitoring Method | In-person clinic visits, paper records | Video-based detection (heart rate, blood oxygen, respiration) |
| Data Frequency | Intermittent (monthly or quarterly) | Real-time or daily monitoring |
| Convenience | Patients often need to visit clinics | Can be completed remotely at home |
| Applicability | Limited access in rural or underserved areas | Supports patients in rural or mobility-challenged settings |
For further reading:Vital Signs Monitoring and Measurement
Digital health and telemedicine are reshaping how chronic disease management is delivered and are driving the future of care innovation.
According to CMS guidelines on Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), RPM services are now reimbursable under Medicare, covering physiological data such as blood pressure, weight, pulse oximetry, and respiratory flow. This allows physicians to track patients’ health status without frequent clinic visits. As demand for home-based care continues to rise, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is becoming an essential component of chronic disease management.
The FDA Digital Health Center of Excellence highlights Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) as one of the most promising tools for advancing chronic disease management. Additionally, powered by AI it can analyze long-term health data, identify abnormal patterns, and support healthcare professions through risk prediction and early interventions.
Despite rapid progress in digital health, access to wearable devices remains limited for many. Rural and low-income populations often face barriers such as the high cost of hardware and unreliable internet connectivity. Expanding the accessibility and affordability of remote monitoring solutions is crucial to advancing health equity and ensuring no population is left behind.
From FaceHeart’s perspective, the future lies in non-invasive, low-barrier digital monitoring. By leveraging everyday devices—such as smartphone or laptop cameras—to capture vital signs like heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen, health monitoring becomes both more accessible and user-friendly. This approach aligns with Medicare’s RPM framework while addressing public health equity challenges, helping to make digital health solutions widely accessible and inclusive.
The future of chronic disease management depends not only on policies and insurance frameworks but also on the seamless integration into patients’ lives. Although current Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) tools are capable of providing physiological data, their complexity and reliance on additional hardware often hinder patient adherence.
From FaceHeart’s perspective, the next step in chronic disease management should focus on:
Based on its practical experience, FaceHeart believes that the future of chronic disease management lies not ingenerating more data, but in making data more accessible. This approach is essential to achieving public health goal of equity while meeting clinical demands for precision and compliance.
According to CDC statistics, the most common chronic diseases in the United States include heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and chronic lung disease. These conditions not only affect patients’ quality of life but are also major drivers of healthcare spending and public health challenges.
Yes. Research shows that patients who participate in six-week programs experience significant improvements in symptom management, self-efficacy, and quality of life. These programs are low-cost, easy to implement in community settings, and especially effective for older adults and individuals managing multiple chronic conditions.
In the U.S., all services involving patient health information must comply with HIPAA regulations, which ensure data encryption and secure transmission. For RPM programs reimbursed by Medicare, healthcare providers are required to use compliant devices and software and must clearly inform patients about how their data will be collected, stored, and used.
Patients managing multiple chronic conditions need comprehensive, coordinated care. Integrating Chronic Care Management (CCM), Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME), and community resources can help reduce medication conflicts, prevent redundant testing, and enhance overall quality of life.
