What the COVID-19 Pandemic has taught us about Value-based Care?

Many areas of the healthcare business had been moving toward value-based care delivery and value-based payment models long before the coronavirus pandemic – some quicker than others. While dentistry is still lagging behind primary care in terms of the shift from volume to value, the epidemic has prompted many dentists and oral health practitioners to seriously assess the short- and long-term benefits of making this change. We need to step up our efforts now more than ever if we are to emerge from the epidemic with a strong and resilient oral health system.

So, what have we learned about value-based care through COVID-19?

COVID-19 has changed the way health care is delivered, and many of the improvements that have been seen will have a long-term influence on the industry and our national provider network. The COVID-19 pandemic has given significant examples concerning the design and conveyance of medical services all over the planet, and quite possibly the main point has been the need to move to value-based models of care. The urgency for this change was obvious from the pandemic's earliest days, as sanctuary set up orders made patient visits physical offices fall. That decline managed a monetary catastrophe for some charge for-administration medical services suppliers, who are paid per patient visit, therapy, or test performed - no matter what the patient's wellbeing result.

On the other hand, prepaid, value-based health care systems have shown they are better suited to adapt to an ever-changing health care landscape. Due to their integration and focus on seamless coordination of care, as well as their accountability for both quality of care and cost, these systems can leverage technology differently to adapt to major disruptions and different market conditions. The patient's best interests are the top priority. The right level of care delivered in the right setting at the right time generates value.

Social Benefits of Value-Based Care

By focusing on preventing chronic disease and helping patients recover from illnesses and injuries more quickly, value-based care can reduce overall costs. Providers may need to spend more time implementing new, prevention-based services and technologies, but less on managing chronic diseases. As a result of value-based health care organizations' preventive approach, society benefits by spending less on chronic diseases, costly hospitalizations, and medical emergencies.

Adding value to society is a benefit of value-based organizations. The goal of building trust with patients is cultural competency, which involves tailoring services to the individual's cultural and linguistic preferences. During the pandemic, it was especially important to build trust with underserved communities, since mistrust of health care systems was prevalent.

During the early days of the pandemic, 80% of care was delivered via telemedicine thanks to long-term investments in telehealth and remote patient monitoring technologies. A reduction in regulations helped the broader health care system cope with COVID-19 patient surges, which led to increased telehealth services, hospitals shifting care into the home with telemedicine, and health care organizations providing culturally sensitive care.

With telehealth video and phone visits, health care organizations will be able to gain more visibility into social factors that affect patient health outcomes, such as medication adherence, diet, and food security. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became especially evident how important it is to address social determinants of health. Likewise, while value-based health care organizations have offered patients assistance in languages other than English for years, the high death toll in underserved populations underscored the need for even more effective, culturally appropriate communication.

Pandemics demonstrate the value of value-based models, which are accountable for patient outcomes, and which continue making necessary, long-term investments to improve care delivery, reduce disparities, and focus on population health. The time is now for a greater range of health care organizations to mobilize by aligning incentives to build a system of care that is responsive, coordinated, equitable, and sustainable.