The notion of value-based care isn’t new in the medical field, but it is new in some medical setups because not everybody treats it with the same importance. The model explains how the doctor-patient interactions emphasize the need for a results-oriented vision.
There is a clear shift in the medical sphere towards a value-based care system, but it’s not happening fast enough. Moreover, some medical schools and residency programs don’t emphasize it at all. Which leaves us with a problem.
Why Value-Based Care is Important
The value-based care system prioritizes the wellbeing of the patient and that’s where the change begins. By prioritizing the patient’s wellbeing above all else, physicians undergo a paradigm shift. Simply put, they will learn to value the quality of care, instead of the volume of care.
We see this in medical spheres where the value-based care system is in full effect. In those environments, physicians stress the importance of preventive measures and patient outcomes. This leads to an increase in quality in terms of overall medical care and promotes improved health outcomes for patients.
Why Value-Based Care is Not Widely Adopted Yet
While there’s no denying that the value-based care system is beneficial for both the physician and the patient, there are challenges that make adopting it more difficult than expected. Some of these include:
The Complacency – Any paradigm shift requires energy, resources, and the willingness to change one’s optics. This type of change is more difficult to implement in experienced doctors with years in the system.
The Intricacy – The value-based system is intricate and multilayered and relies on a comprehensive approach for the best results. Aspects like the diagnosis, the treatment, the disease pathology, and the patient’s response and input are also part of the system. This degree of intricacy makes the system difficult to include in the existent curriculum.
The Overburdened Curriculum – The present medical curriculum is already filled with a lot of material. Finding room for the additional requirements of the new value-based concept can prove challenging.
Lacking Expertise – The value-based system requires expert and knowledgeable teachers who would mentor the current and future generations of physicians. Currently, there’s an insufficient number of professionals in this sphere.
Insufficient Institutional Support – Changing the curriculum requires institutional support, separate from the individual support of those working with it. This type of support is insufficient today.
Heterogeneous Healthcare System – The healthcare system isn’t homogenous in the sense that medical disciplines are fragmented and separate. The lack of collaboration makes for an inadequate environment for a value-based, homogenous system.
The Solution
The solution consists of multiple steps, based on the problems that we’ve already highlighted above. Each of the problems require a personalized solution based on its nature. One of the most important ones is understanding the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration and increased institutional support.
More funding, more awareness, more willingness to change things for the better – all these are necessary to bring about change in a sector that desperately needs one.
With offices in Miami, Miramar, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and West Palm Beach, Primary Medical Care Center is a leader in full-risk primary care, distinguished by its innovative philosophy and unique physician-led culture that delivers coordinated, world-class primary care to the most vulnerable populations, particularly moderate- to low-income seniors with complicated chronic diseases.