Article
Navigate population health management strategies with any payment mix
While most organizations are still operating on a fee-for-service basis, many have begun shifting to fee-for-value, driven by government mandates and private insurance company contracts. In a 2014 poll of health care systems and hospitals, 81 percent said they have a mix of payment models.*
If you are ready to take on the risk of managing certain populations for a set fee in your organization, or are considering becoming part of an Accountable Care Organization, effective population health management strategies will provide you with the technological tools and best practices to help make it feasible – and profitable.
In the end, population health management strategies cut across reimbursement types. Strategies such as reminding patients about the treatments they need, achieving better physician alignment, coordinating care, meeting quality measures and efficiently getting reimbursements can increase profitability regardless of reimbursement type. Delivering quality care and controlling costs transcend payment models.
Population health management strategies serve all kinds of patients:
- Healthy patients get regular screenings and exams and preventative health information to help them stay healthy.
- When healthy patients get sick, they get the care they need quickly and efficiently, including information about how to care for themselves at home after treatment.
- Patients with chronic conditions get help managing those conditions, through both timely professional care and self-care information.
No matter what their payment mix, the success of healthcare organizations hinges on their ability to understand and engage their patient population and coordinate the patient treatment experience across the care continuum.
* “The State of Value-Based Reimbursement and the Transition from Volume to Value in 2014,” McKesson Corporation, 2014).
