VALUE-BASED CARE PROMOTES HEALTH EQUITY
Alternative Payment Models Empower Providers to Tackle Patients’ Socioeconomic Challenges for Better Healthcare
Value-based care models pay hospitals and providers, in part, on quality and outcomes of care. These models allow The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s hospitals and emergency departments to work together on identifying and tackling barriers to health for Medicare patients, so they can focus on getting better.
For health care providers nationwide, collaboration among clinical teams to ensure patient care – regardless of social determinants of health – are only made possible through Medicare’s alternative payment model program.
Pattie's story:
Pattie – an 80-year-old with chronic kidney disease, heart failure, osteoarthritis and electrolyte issues – was discharged from Ohio State’s Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital and instructed to receive follow-up dialysis care. However, Pattie came home to find the gas turned off in her apartment, no food in her cupboards, no reliable source of transportation to her dialysis appointments and limited finances to sustain herself.
In recognition of racial and economic disparities, the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s staff reaches out to the top 20% highest cost patients discharged from its hospitals and emergency departments to identify challenges with food insecurity and access to essential resources. A registered nurse from Ohio State reached out to Pattie after she was discharged and connected her to the team’s social and community health workers, who helped schedule an appointment with her primary care provider, find a dialysis center closer to home and additional community resources to help improve her situation.
With their help, Pattie received financial aid to help with bills, got set up with food deliveries, secured transportation assistance and found a regular home health provider. Now, Pattie is better able to care for her health and regularly makes her dialysis appointments.
Value-based care models allow accountable care organizations such as the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to support providers as they enhance health equity and make tangible differences in the lives of patients facing health and socioeconomic challenges. Without continued support for value-based models, patients like Pattie may not get the support or care they need.
This patient story has been de-identified to protect patient privacy consistent with HIPAA – no real patient names are referenced, while the experience described reflects actual events.