How to Choose a CCM Vendor: 12 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Choosing a chronic care management (CCM) vendor is mostly a question of who does the work, who bills, and who keeps the revenue. The vendors you are comparing, ChartSpan included, may differ on all three, and pricing is often quoted per practice rather than published. This guide gives you a neutral way to compare them. It does not rank or describe any vendor's terms, because those change and you should get them in writing.

What are the common ways to run a CCM program?

Short answer: there are four, and the right one depends on your staff, your panel size and how much control you want.

| Model | Who does the monthly work | How you pay | Watch for | |---|---|---|---| | In-house team | Your own clinical staff | Salaries and benefits | Hiring, turnover and time-log discipline | | Revenue-share service | The vendor's staff | A percentage of what you collect for CCM | The percentage grows with enrollment; check the exit terms | | Flat-fee staffing | The vendor's staff, inside your EHR | A fixed monthly invoice | Scope and the minimum term | | Software only | Your staff, with the vendor's tool | A subscription | You still need the people to do the calls |

See in-house vs. outsourced CCM for how the first choice compares with the rest.

What do the numbers look like?

The two paid models can cost very different amounts as your program grows. Use your own numbers. Here is an illustration with made-up terms (not any vendor's real price): at the 2026 national average of about $66 per enrolled patient per month for CPT 99490 (rates vary by locality, see our CPT 99490 guide), 200 enrolled patients bring in roughly $13,200 a month. A hypothetical 35% revenue share would be about $4,620 of that, and it rises as you enroll more patients. A flat fee stays the same at 200 patients or 400. Actual results vary by practice, so run both calculations at your own enrollment before you decide.

12 questions to ask every vendor

Ask all of them the same questions and ask for the answers in writing.

1. Who bills Medicare? Your practitioner should bill under their own supervision, and the vendor's staff work under general supervision. Get this stated plainly.
2. What exactly do we pay, and how does it change? Fixed fee, percentage, setup fees, minimums.
3. Who employs and trains the staff? Where are they based, and what clinical background do they have?
4. Do the staff work inside our EHR? Or in a separate system that we cannot see?
5. How is time logged? Each entry needs a date, minutes, who did it and what was done. See our time tracking guide.
6. How is consent captured and stored? Patients must be told about CCM, cost sharing, one practitioner per month and their right to stop. See the consent requirements guide.
7. Who builds and maintains the care plan? It must be electronic and shared with the patient.
8. What is the 24/7 access arrangement? CMS expects patients to reach a practitioner or clinical staff for urgent needs at any hour.
9. Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement? Before any patient data is touched, with no exceptions. See the HIPAA checklist.
10. What reports do we get, and how often? Monthly per-patient time and activity summaries that your billing team can attach to the claim.
11. What happens if we leave? Notice period, return of records, and what happens to enrolled patients.
12. Can we speak to a practice like ours? Ask for references in your specialty and size.

Use the CPT 99490 documentation checklist to test whether a vendor's records would hold up when you bill.

What are the red flags?

• A vendor who will not say in writing who bills or how fees are calculated
• No Business Associate Agreement, or one offered only after you sign
• Time logs that are summaries rather than dated entries
• A long minimum term with no way out if enrollment disappoints
• Revenue promises with no "results vary" caveat

How does Zenith's approach differ?

Zenith is a staffing service, not software and not a revenue-share company. Trained clinical staff work inside your EHR under a Business Associate Agreement. Your practice stays the billing provider and keeps the Medicare revenue, and Zenith invoices monthly for the labor on a written per-practice proposal. Onboarding typically takes 3 to 6 weeks and cancellation is by 30 days' written notice, as set out on our pricing and refund and cancellation pages. Read our HIPAA compliance posture and the chronic care management service page for the detail.

Comparing for yourself is the right way to choose, so book a 15-minute call and bring the 12 questions.