Value vs Volume Based Health Care

Value-Based Versus Volume-Based Healthcare

With the movement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) more payers want to move to a value-based health care versus a volume-based health care system.   A volume-based health care system pays by the volume of services provided to a patient.   A value-based health care system pays based on how well the services were performed and a positive patient outcome.   More payers, such as, insurers, federal and state government, and private employers want to move toward a new system of paying for health care based on value.   Moving toward a value-based health care system will benefit both patients and health care, decrease healthcare spending, and be a trend in the future
To begin with, a value-based health care system will benefit both the patients and healthcare providers.   Healthcare providers will be more concerned with the quality of care that they are providing, rather than how many patients they are seeing, or services they are providing.   Forty percent of the medical care provided in the United States may not have added any value, and may have been unnecessary. (Fields, 2012)   A volume-based health care system “pushed doctors to provide as much care as possible, regardless of whether it was effective.” (Kiff, 2012, para, 15) Having a value-based healthcare system will eliminate this issue.   Another benefit to patients from a value-based healthcare system is there will be better communication between the patient and the doctor.   The doctor will go beyond the day-to-day care, and look more toward long term care.   They will be able to communicate what their plan is for the patient long term and make sure everyone is following this plan accordingly.   It will also help patients take control of their own health.   Doctors will be able to spend the time with them to help them understand what they can do at home to improve their health.   This will help eliminate errors in care, readmissions, and unnecessary money spent by the...