It is becoming clear that the traditional approaches to care management, including efforts to close gaps in care, are not sufficient to deliver value-based healthcare. Efforts are fragmented and driven by what healthcare organizations have established as appropriate, and not based on what a patient needs and when they need it. IDC research has shown a need for continuous care driven by intelligence and insight that reduces the friction between payers and providers and delivers value that consumers and physicians are seeking. New digital platforms for value-based care management can provide the insights to guide stakeholders to the most appropriate action, the workflow and devices to manage care across the continuum of care settings and acuity, and the digital communication tools to support patients on their healthcare journey. The adoption of value-based healthcare, the pressure to manage cost and improve quality as well as the availability of technology holds promise to ease the burden for all stakeholders.
Care management has historically been focused on a sub-set of patients with chronic conditions, with efforts including identifying patients in need of routine preventive screenings and providing generalized care plans to help patients manage their condition. With the increased availability and adoption of technology, particularly remote devices and sensors in combination with mobile devices, it is possible to extend care management across a broader population that represents the full spectrum of acuity — from prevention to care of unstable and frail patients. Whether driven by cost management or quality improvements, healthcare organizations must broaden their care management strategies to increase the use of technology to manage patients, regardless of acuity, where and when they need care — a true patient centered approach to care.
Effective value-based care management must go beyond managing chronic conditions in the ambulatory setting and address the needs of patients across the continuum of care settings and acuity spectrum with convenient, continuous and personalized care. Current strategies are fragmented and limited in scope, causing inefficiency and frustration for care managers and physicians, less than optimal outcomes for patients, limited ROI for payers and lost revenue for delivery systems. The creation of a digital platform for value-based care management requires an architecture that can accept and transmit data to and from multiple settings of care, provide insights for decision making and help guide patients through their healthcare journey.
For more details on how technology can improve care management costs and outcomes, as well as Philips’ role in this important market, I invite you to download the IDC whitepaper, "A Digital Platform for Value-based Care Management."
