Ushering in a New Era of Healthcare: Value-Based Care 2.0

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the urgency in ensuring that all Americans have affordable, equitable access to quality healthcare. But as efforts are made to address many short-term needs, we must also consider implementing changes that are sustainable, beneficial and endure long into the future.

Defining Value-Based Care 2.0
In January, President Biden signed executive orders designed to improve access to quality, affordable healthcare and reduce disparities. This, along with the passage of the COVID-19 relief bill and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signals that health is a top priority in Congress.

The measures outlined in the COVID-19 relief bill not only fund public health department workforces, but it also supports community health centers and expands access to affordable healthcare for millions of Americans through both insurance coverage as well as improved resources in their communities.

Technology has played an integral role in this “value-based care 2.0” approach. While telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies were being implemented in a limited manner before 2020, the pandemic pushed them squarely into the mainstream, with the RPM market specifically expected to double in the next five years.

Looking forward, the current Administration has a unique opportunity to capitalize on this key trend to mold the future of U.S. healthcare policy and delivery in the context of all that we have learned over the past year.

For example, hospitals around the country debuted RPM programs during the pandemic to monitor vital signs and symptom data—including oxygen levels, heart rates, and other key indicators—as patients recovered from COVID-19 at home, instead of occupying hospital beds needed for sicker individuals.

In partnership with Rimidi client Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC), we conducted a patient survey that found that 70% of DOHC patients believed RPM enabled them to better manage their health conditions. Further, 90% of patients said that the addition of remote monitoring supplements their face-to-face appointments, making these visits more valuable, and in some cases, replaces the need for frequent in-person appointments altogether.

For countless caregivers and patients, the uptick in RPM use is increasingly begging them to question why such tools have not been utilized more regularly previously. And it’s now realized that the success of these innovative tools will be critical long after the pandemic subsides.

The Cementing of Interoperability and Standardized Data Sharing
The current challenges needed to solve these barriers to adoption once and for all are enhanced reimbursement, expanded broadband, and interoperability mandates. Without the ability to share health data in a standardized way, the digital healthcare ecosystem simply cannot be realized.

In passing the 21st Century Cures Act, Congress made strides toward this by enabling HHS to make rules to stop the harmful practice of siloing patients’ health information for profit. As of April 5, 2021, the ONC has finalized rules to prevent illegal information blocking and to streamline the secure sharing of patient data amongst and between patients and their providers.

Furthermore, beyond congressional efforts, The Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Coalition, a multi-sector initiative for which I serve as co-chair, is working to create recommendations on the greater use of technology to mitigate health disparities, particularly coordination of resources, policy advocacy, research and education. HEAL, which is an effort of the Connected Health Initiative and Consumer Technology Association, is exploring ways in which health technology, such as mobile health, wearables, remote monitoring, clinical decision support, artificial intelligence and telehealth can be used to improve the country’s response to health disparities in diverse geographies, communities, and demographics.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has strained the healthcare industry, this Administration has the advantage of being able to leverage everything we have learned over the past year to advance the next generation of value-based care in advanced APMs and to create a more equitable, efficient, and effective healthcare system.

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