The concept of healthcare has completely reshaped itself with the advent of top-notch technological wonders in the field of healthcare and medicine. Now, the services people get should serve them first and foremost and not the service providers. The debate around healthcare has been going on for a long time.
The system that works best for the people and not leave them at the mercy of their illnesses can be considered the perfect healthcare plan. But for a long time, healthcare providers have been benefitting more from their services than the recipient of their services. Value-based healthcare is a way to change that trend and shift the focus on the patients.
In value-based healthcare, also known as pay for performance system, physicians, hospitals, and everyone involved in the treatment of a patient is paid according to their performance. If the quality of the care, they offer to the patient is good, they will get paid accordingly. This system is slowly gaining the attention of the masses and debates about its usefulness have already started making rounds. If you, as a patient, want to know whether it is the right system for you, then the seven reasons listed below would help you in taking an informed decision.
1. Cost Effective:
In a traditional healthcare system, you have to pay for your treatment even if you are not getting benefitted from it. In certain cases, a treatment procedure may even have side effects instead of being good for you. But you still have to pay the healthcare providers for the treatment. People had accepted this system because there was no alternative. But value-based healthcare is the alternative. You pay according to the quality of the treatment and as a result, it is also favored by insurance companies. Not only does it lead to health improvements but also doesn’t burden your pocket.
2. Better Health Outcomes:
When the focus is on your health and the quality of treatment you are getting, you will see better outcomes. Your health will improve quickly under value-based treatment because physicians will work tirelessly to make sure you get better. This is why shifting to value based care is better because not only will it bring better outcomes but also show quick results.
Although people should be getting better in all healthcare systems, but truth of the matter is that it doesn’t really happen. In volume-based care, the focus is on administrating treatment regardless of their effectiveness.
3. Satisfaction:
Do you ever come back from a doctor’s visit feeling extremely unsatisfied because they didn’t listen to you attentively? In a volume-based healthcare, doctors want to see as many patients as they can in a little time. As a result, they don’t focus much on each patient. When doctors listen to a patient attentively, they can treat the health problems in a better way. It also brings the patients immense satisfaction when they know they were listened to.
A lot of illnesses have overlapping symptoms. They can only be distinguished with the help of patients. But if a doctor doesn’t listen to the patient in detail, they can misdiagnose the illness.
4. Reduction of Medical Errors:
Misdiagnosis and administration of the incorrect treatment is very common in the healthcare industry. But when value-based healthcare incentivises performance, it motivates the physicians to reduce the medical errors. Not only does it improve the efficiency of the healthcare provider, but also ensure the provision of the best care to the patients.
If you can always get the best treatment without any errors, why wouldn’t you opt for it? This is why many have turned to the value-based system of healthcare and many are in the transition phase.
5. Proactive, Not Reactive Care:
Coming into action after something has happened is something that humans are known for. But what if we can prevent something from happening in the first place? Look at the way we are waiting for global warming to reach the point of no return. Without realising that it will be easier to try to stop it now instead of reversing its affects after it has happened.
The same rule applies in the healthcare industry. Reactive care is offered when an illness has already started. This is the kind of care you get in a traditional healthcare system. But in value-based care, you get proactive care. It is a preventive care that promotes healthy habits and keep warning signs in check to make sure you don’t develop a sickness at all. It can also come into action before an illness gets worse and requires adverse actions. It is the best way to keep yourself healthy and safe from dangerous diseases that you are at risk of developing.
6. Best Consumer Experience:
Have you ever met someone who was happy with the way the healthcare industry works? It is because volume-based care fails to provide the best consumer experience. In value-based healthcare, patients are at the center of the system. They are engaged in their treatment process and as a result, feel valued. In this system, a coordinated care team is assigned to each patient to provide them the best care. As a result, the patients feel better about receiving treatment and find it easier to trust their healthcare providers.
The fact that physicians have the new technological advancements at their disposal also help them in providing the best treatment plan. They also have continuous access to their patients’ data and that helps them in devising treatment plans. They can also make necessary changes in the treatment easily when they have all the data available to them.
7. Development of Healthy Habits:
In a value-based care system, physicians will earn reward for promoting your healthy habits. But the biggest beneficiary of this is you. If the system gets you to quit smoking or start exercising regularly, then no one will benefit more than you. The healthy habits will not only improve your current health but also eliminate the chances of developing illnesses in the future.
The few common problems people face that lead to serious health conditions include smoking and overeating. But once your healthcare provider help you get over them, you can get on track of a healthy lifestyle.
There are many more benefits of value-based healthcare. But the above-mentioned reasons should be enough to convince you that it is the best healthcare system for you and your dear ones. It can serve you better than traditional healthcare systems which is why you should make the transition as soon as you can.
