Value-based care is one of the key drivers of health system efforts to improve patient access to medical services, according to survey research from the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM).
The Pittsburgh-based CCM’s “Top of Mind for Top Health Systems 2022” research report examines patient access solutions and strategies being considered and deployed at health systems to deliver a more consumer-friendly approach to care. Conducted in partnership with KLAS Research, the CCM’s research included interviews with 72 leaders from 67 health systems across the United States. The respondents included C-suite level executives, vice presidents and directors, mostly in clinical information technology, digital strategy and business roles.
“We’re acknowledging the need to engage with consumers earlier in the care journey if we’re going to improve health and wellness. In order to accomplish this, healthcare needs to do a better job of meeting patients where they are – whether that’s in the digital world or by making it easier to schedule and access in-person care,” said Rob Bart, M.D., chief medical information officer at UPMC, in a statement. (Nokia and UPMC are operating partners of the CCM.)
Besides mentioning the impact of consumerism and the role of value-based care arrangements, organizations also described the need for help managing chronically ill patients, avoiding readmissions, and reducing costs for patients. The report quotes one CIO as saying, “I am in charge of our population health initiatives and getting a patient to the right level of care at the right time is huge. I have goals to reduce patient volumes and reduce ED visit volumes overall, making sure that for chronic, high-cost patients, we are managing their care so they don’t end up in unnecessary visits. There is huge financial and clinical value in keeping patients out of the hospital when they don’t need to be there.”
Nearly all respondents (99 percent) identified improving patient access as a “high” or “very high” priority for their health system, and more than 85 percent indicated their health system is likely to invest in patient access technology. Telehealth services and patient reminders were cited as the most utilized technology to improve patient access, followed by an online provider directory, online bill-pay and self-scheduling tools.
The report found that patient financial experience vendors are seen as valuable but aren’t widely used; only 17 percent of respondents said their organization was using such a vendor.
The pandemic has exacerbated some of the challenges health systems face in implementing patient access technologies, especially at smaller institutions where margins have declined, leaving fewer resources for investment in new technology. “Respondents most commonly cited competing internal priorities as the largest barrier to leveraging technology to improve patient access,” the report said. “Many healthcare leaders shared that being able to link positive outcomes to their investment would make it easier to justify new technologies. Some mentioned moving to a more value-based payment program, where they could look more holistically at the patient treatment and experience, would help them budget to invest in these technologies.”
The CCM report noted that some respondents said that both payers and the government should take more responsibility for removing barriers to investing in these technologies and ensuring patients have the personal technology and broadband connections needed to access care.
