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What exactly is Value-based care? This question has been looming in the healthcare space for a long time, and there has been no single definition. In simple terms, it is the shift from quantity to quality regarding delivering health care. This means a conscious effort on the part of providers to avoid truckloads of tests, treatments and medicines and the care provided by hospitals, doctors and physicians will be measured based on its value and not its volume.

Primary care is pivotal to any health system and the healthcare industry has been laser-focused on increasing the quality and access to primary care. Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that the goals of optimizing quality, improving patient experience of care, and lowering costs can not be achieved without a strong primary care foundation.

The dynamic of the relationship between a patient and physician is a very sacred one, everything begins with trust and runs if it continues both ways only.

In the last few years, one of the biggest challenges healthcare has faced on the road to value-based care has been chronic care management. The healthcare organizations we have today are well-equipped to treat acute episodes or countering emergencies, but there has to be a greater focus on managing chronic conditions and comorbidities. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(1) shows the glaring statistics:

The U.S. healthcare has transformed drastically over the past decade and has successfully managed to provide care to chronically ill patients. However, the healthcare system is also well-known for delivering care at skyrocketing costs. The U.S. healthcare system faces significant challenges that call for urgent reform- underutilized preventive care, high spending on complex diseases, fragmented care for chronic patients, etc.

Healthcare organizations have always been working towards delivering quality care and constantly improving the patient experience of care. Patient experience happens to account for 25% of a hospital’s score under CMS Hospital Value-Based Purchasing, encouraging healthcare organizations to diligently work towards engaging their patients and delivering end-to-end care.