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Stepping into an unknown territory comes with its own set of apprehensions and fears. The same goes for the providers who are or will be transitioning from a fee-for-volume to a value-based system of care. Providers are encouraged to focus on streamlining operations, optimizing technology and improving patient communication and making the clinical changes necessary to transform the way they provide care. However, value-based care is still in its infancy and its adoption has been slower than expected, owing to lurking doubts, questions, and misconceptions. How can providers not only adopt VBC but also succeed in providing quality care?

Transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care in healthcare has been one of the most important industry-wide initiatives over the past few years. And as physicians are no less than the anchors that hold the ship of healthcare in place, they would be affected greatly by the changes in healthcare, and have a great deal of impact on how care is delivered to the masses. However, according to a survey of executives and decision-makers of healthcare organizations conducted in 2016, 94% of them admitted to being on the path to value-based care, yet only 27% of them were actually on a significant stage- a slow change from the numbers in 2015.

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: