By Jennifer Melham
In the evolving landscape of modern healthcare, it’s become increasingly important that the success of a medical provider is measured by ultimate patient outcomes rather than the volume of appointments, type of treatments provided, or the number of tests ordered. This is called value-based care and is a transformative approach that challenges the status quo of the industry.
In an earlier Industry Insights article, we discussed how we vet and select our nurses—assessing their quality not just by their skills and qualifications but also by whether they’ll be a good cultural fit for your organization. Recruiting and retaining quality staff is essential to providing value-based care, and this is just the beginning. Here are some vital steps to build a foundation for value-based care.
Prioritize a Patient-Centered Approach
To achieve positive patient outcomes, it’s crucial to put the patient first in all care. This means creating an individualized care plan for each patient designed to their specific care needs and nurturing a culture where every clinician is encouraged to prioritize patient satisfaction. Sometimes this requires a mindset shift, if it’s not something your facility’s staff have been exposed to.
What you can do as a leader is ensure that your facility is providing ongoing training for all healthcare staff on communication skills, empathy, and the importance of patient-centered care in not only improving patient outcomes but ensuring their feedback is positive as well. Empowering your staff will help your patients feel empowered as well and is key to providing value-based care.
Implement Care Coordination Strategies
At Medical Solutions, we take a holistic and collaborative approach to staffing in the same way hospitals should use this approach to deliver value-based care. You can do this by establishing your care teams to include various healthcare professionals: physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and even virtual nurses to provide remote monitoring for patients. You’ll also want to develop standardized care protocols that guide the coordination process.
In addition to virtual nursing technology, coordination is made possible with electronic health records that facilitate seamless information sharing among care team members for continuity that reduces the risk of fragmented patient care. Lastly, actively engage patients in their care planning, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to make informed healthcare decisions on their own behalf.
Align Incentives with Outcomes
Encouraging patient-centered care can include incentivizing clinicians with performance-based reimbursement models that reward facilities and teams. These models can include analyzing patient satisfaction scores, reduced readmission rates, and improved health outcomes overall. By aligning financial incentives with these metrics and patient-centered outcomes, hospital leaders can drive a cultural shift toward prioritizing quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction.
Partnering with the right workforce solutions partner can also help you supplement your staff with cost-effective travelers and local clinicians already well-equipped to provide patient-centered and value-based care. This helps reduce the burden on your facility and improve your recruitment and retention efforts.
Contact our team today to learn more about our healthcare talent ecosystem and how we can help set you up for success with your value-based care strategy.
Jennifer Melham is a content specialist with Medical Solutions.