Advanced Illness
Partners
A new Hospice Value-Based Care Model
H
ealthcare is quickly evolving these days and providers, hospital groups, and private and government health plans are all looking toward value-based care as a way to improve outcomes and lower cost. Over the past several years, a variety of value-based programs and ideas have been implemented across the spectrum of healthcare that share the same goal: to shift the incentives in healthcare from those driven by volume to those driven by outcomes and quality. A common tenet of value-based care is flexibility. Typically, providers are paid a set monthly amount to oversee care of a
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patient. When the care results in savings, those savings are shared with the physician. Conversely, the physician also may bear part of the risk if outcomes are not as hoped. Care is determined by patient need and is not limited to provider office visits. Physicians can determine which patients need the most “touches” and what those encounters should be. Patient management can move beyond the traditional office visit and could encompass a variety of innovative strategies: telehealth, group education, use of health coaches, involvement of community resources, etc. Such a model allows for creativity and empowers each member of the healthcare team to function at their highest level of skill and training.
