Toward Maternity Care APMs That Improve Outcomes And Equity

Health Affairs | February 13, 2024

Giving birth in the United States is dangerous, and even more so if you are Black or Indigenous, live in a rural area, or have a low income. Maternal deaths continue to rise, even though the vast majority are preventable. The rate of people experiencing severe maternal morbidity is climbing, and perinatal anxiety and depression are widespread and go largely untreated. Meanwhile, our cesarean birth rate remains stubbornly high despite professional guidelinesthat aim to curtail unneeded cesareans. More than one-third of US counties have been designated as maternity care deserts. This intractable maternal health crisis threatens our shared future as a country. Research shows that what happens from pregnancy through the postpartum and infant periods can have long-term, even lifelong, health effects for birthing people and their children. One leading strategy for confronting this crisis is to advance payment and delivery reforms with the specific aim of improving maternal-newborn outcomes and increasing equity.

Let’s Think of Patient-Centered Care, Not Value-Based Care

Healthcare IT Today | February 13, 2024

Recently, I’ve become uncomfortable with the buzzword of health care reform in our time: “value-based care.” We’ll look closely at that term in this article and sketch out some paths forward to something better. Some context: During the 15 years that I’ve been covering health care IT, commonplace terminology has been repeatedly re-examined. The terms chosen by clinicians and payers say a lot about biases and assumptions, and the field has seen many shifts with the goal of educating us to be more sensitive. (The terms “No-show” and “non-compliance” are on the outs, for instance.) Value-based care, and the earlier phrase “fee-for-value” it seems to have replaced, are monikers for a commendable and crucial movement to meet the patients where they are, with the hope of significant gains in treating chronic conditions. But the word “value” indicates we’re still more concerned with the payer’s point of view than the health of the patient.



From Buzzword to Action: Addressing SDOH to Advance Health Equity

MedCity News | February 14, 2024

The term health equity has found its way into business plans, patient-facing documents, regulations, initiatives, and the news. A recent Deloitte report noted that over 80% of c-suite executives spanning healthcare organizations and the life sciences anticipate a 2024 focus on improved health equity, flagging it as a top 10 goal for the year. In particular, the CDC calls for addressing social determinants of health (SDoH) as a primary method to deliver on health equity goals. With such emphasis on both terms and a drive to incorporate them into healthcare, organizations can benefit from support to ensure they steer clear of using SDoH as a buzzword, and instead hit the mark of health equity results. Ultimately, moving beyond mere talk about SDoH and into action matters for healthcare groups’ abilities to succeed in value-based care models and beyond.

New year brings new value-based care opportunities

Medical Economics | February 12, 2024

As we move into 2024, health care is experiencing unprecedented digital innovation and transformation. New technologies and capabilities are emerging to enable organizations – including payers, providers, and self-funded employers – to confidently take on risk in value-based care (VBC) programs.The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that 49% of practices are participating in some form of value-based payment, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is still pushing its goal of having all Medicare and most Medicaid beneficiaries in accountable care relationships by 2030. The VBC model incentivizes providers and payers to deliver higher quality care and optimize patient outcomes while reducing costs. VBC has gained significant traction in recent years, and its momentum is only expected to increase. Health care delivery organizations prepared for these changes will thrive in a value-based future.