Key elements to transition from volume to value

by Kenneth H. Cohn
Autumn in New England seems like a fitting metaphor for healthcare reform, in that it requires us to let go of the past and prepare for an uncertain future.
Recently, I spoke to the Physician CEO Healthcare Roundtable on "Healthcare: What's Next." To deal with my uncertainty, I used Prof. Michael Porter's Framework1, which states that healthcare organizations must meet seven different conditions to move from a volume-based to a more value-based healthcare system.

1. Mandatory measurement and dissemination of healthcare outcomes over the entire cycle of care rather than separately for each intervention, including survival, degree of recovery achieved, time needed for recovery, discomfort of care, and sustainability of recovery;
2. Prevention, screening, and health maintenance services, such as the patient-centered medical home, to deliver specific services and wellness bundles to defined patient populations;
3. Care delivery organized around integrated practice units that encompass all the skills and services required over the full cycle of care for each medical condition;
4. Reimbursement that aligns everyone's interests around improving value for patients;
5. Requiring providers to compete for patients based on value;
6. Electronic medical records that support integrated care, outcome measurement, and hardwiring of lessons learned into care processes; and
7. Patients and families getting more involved in their health and healthcare, using coac...

Source: hospital impact - October 23, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs