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Connected Health Initiative Launches Value-Based Care Task Force
The Washington-based organization is taking aim at the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care and looking for ways to ensure that connected health concepts and tools are included in the conversation.
Can telehealth and mHealth play an integral role in the shift to value-based care?
The Connected Health Initiative thinks so.
The Washington-based organization has announced the formation of a Value-Based Care Task Force, aimed at making sure connected health tools and concepts are included in the conversation as the nation’s healthcare system shifts away from fee-for-service and into VBC.
“The U.S. government recognizes the need to shift the American healthcare system from a fee-for-service approach to one that incents value and improved outcomes,” CHI Executive Director Morgan Reed said in a press release. “But healthcare costs continue to soar, disparities are more pronounced than ever, and the ideal of a value-based ecosystem remains unrealized. CHI believes the responsible use of digital tools can speed the adoption of a value-based system that prioritizes high-quality and more efficient patient care.”
The new group’s first action will be to create a white paper that tackles three topics:
- Amending federal laws to support connected health strategies that advance VBC, in areas that include fee-for-service concepts, the Merits-based Incentive Payment Systems (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Models (APMs);
- Changing federal regulations to support connected health strategies in payment systems like the Physician Fee Schedule and Durable Medical Equipment coverage; and
- Working with payers to incentivize connected health in VBC initiatives.
The task force is taking on a concept that’s popular yet also elusive. The challenge will be to push the healthcare industry away from a model that reimburses providers for services rendered and compels it to identify value in care management and health and wellness.
