Value-Based Care Best Practices for the Best Patient Experience

More and more healthcare organizations are shifting to value-based care (VBC), an approach that prioritizes patient health outcomes and rewards physicians accordingly. VBC focuses on the whole person, not just a person’s specific condition. With value-based care, better patient outcomes go hand in hand with better patient experiences and satisfaction.

Numerous factors contribute to the patient experience and there are strategies that a primary care physician and their staff can use to improve care and increase patient satisfaction. Let’s look at a few of these best practices.

Collect and Leverage Data

Much of today’s health care is data driven and collecting and integrating patient data to coordinate care and provide the best treatment options is essential to improving outcomes and the patient experience. Putting crucial patient information at a provider’s fingertips reduces redundant care and its associated costs.

Physicians who partner with agilon health find that data collection and analysis become easier because of the agilon platform, which collects, extracts, and shares financial, clinical, and social determinants data.

Build an Integrated Team to Provide Comprehensive Care

Fragmented care occurs when health care providers or organizations don’t work well together. This lack of cooperation can result in a lack of care continuity that can be detrimental to a patient’s health and drive up costs. VBC emphasizes cooperation and a team approach where all providers work together to achieve the best outcomes.

Focus on Prevention

Traditional fee-for-service care models reward the number of tests and procedures billed rather than patient outcomes. Proponents of VBC seek to make health care proactive instead of reactive, preventing health problems before they start. When the focus is on prevention, patients generally require fewer doctor’s visits, medical tests, and procedures. They also spend less on prescription medicine.

Focus on Safety

Providing care that prevents complications and lengthy hospital stays not only benefits patients, but it’s also an effective cost-saving strategy. 

Improve Patient Engagement

Patient engagement is key to patient satisfaction and a better patient attitude. What can a provider do to increase engagement?

Offer telehealth visits for patient follow-up.

Telehealth can remove obstacles to accessing care and can reduce wait times and care costs. Because seeing a doctor is easier with telehealth, providers may see an increase in patient compliance.

Offer online appointment booking.

Giving patients the option to book appointments online can reduce obstacles to care and streamline and simplify the appointment process.

Limit patient waiting times.

Strive to reduce patient wait times to no more than 15 minutes.

Follow up with patients.

Determine patient adherence and address reasons for noncompliance.

Pay attention to social determinants of health.

Traditionally, underserved communities have experienced less access to medical care, as well as social and economic challenges. Value-based care helps vulnerable populations and those in underserved communities by providing a support network that can help lessen health risks and promote wellness.

Listen to patient concerns.

If a patient doesn’t feel that their doctor respects them or listens to their concerns, they will be less likely to follow their advice and may be resistant to preventative measures and lifestyle changes.

Spend enough time with each patient.

Patient-centered care happens when the physician is empowered to spend the time necessary with each patient to make sure their questions are answered, and their needs are met.

Why Are Patient Relationships Important In The Value-Based Care Model?

With value-based care, improving patient satisfaction improves your bottom line. At agilon, we’re empowering physicians to focus on the total health of their senior patients while making it easier to measure VBC metrics.

An Example of Value-Based Care’s Effect on Patients

An 86-year-old Columbus, Ohio, woman with syncope suffered falls because of her condition, which led to numerous trips to the emergency room. In just one month, she visited the ER four times.

Two days after a fall in 2021, she felt pain and weakness in her tailbone and legs and reached out to her PCP’s office. To make sure she received proper care and could avoid another costly hospital visit, the physician referred her to the Care Coordination Team at Central Ohio Primary Care.

As part of the care team, an LPN visited the patient’s home to perform a comprehensive safety evaluation, and an emergency response system (ERS) was installed in the event of future accidents.

The patient then saw a neurologist, who gave her a clean bill of health. She continues to have regular visits with the LPN and communicates with her PCP and neurologist. Since receiving coordinated care, the once high-risk patient hasn’t had a trip to the ER in six months.

Improve Your Practice’s Patient Experience with Value-Based Care

agilon health is the trusted partner empowering physicians to transform their patient satisfaction with value-based care. Shaped to fit each physician’s needs, the agilon Total Care Model is our unified Medicare-centric operating platform that benefits physicians, patients, and payors. Learn more about how agilon health can empower your practice to improve its patient relationships.