Employers continue to face a difficult balancing act: improving health care access for employees while managing rising costs. Two recent national thought leadership articles involving Vanderbilt Health leaders highlight why patient-centered, value-based strategies are gaining momentum — and how employers can benefit from them.
NEJM Catalyst
A recent report published in the New England Journal of Medicine by NEJM Catalyst and featured in Vanderbilt Health News explored the success of the MyHealth Bundles program. The report highlights results of the first five years of the program, which uses an innovative approach to episode-based payments that cover everything patients need to receive optimal care for several high-cost conditions.
By eliminating prior authorization, utilization management and other hurdles common to fee-for-service agreements, and by covering comprehensive clinical and support services, MyHealth Bundles have cut waiting times, improved maternity care and nonsurgical management of osteoarthritis, and saved patients and employers millions of dollars.
Becker’s Hospital Review
At the same time, health care organizations nationwide are rethinking employee benefits beyond compensation. In a recent feature published by Becker’s Hospital Review, Ruchika Talwar, MD, medical director of the Office of Episodes of Care Population Health at Vanderbilt Health, discussed how implementing MyHealth Bundles for Vanderbilt Health employees has resulted in increased benefits engagement, improvements in employee health and an overall decrease in health care costs for the organization and its employees. Providing a predictable, cost-controlled health care experience improves employee retention.
Together, these national conversations point to a broader evolution happening across health care. Employers are seeking greater transparency, accountability and measurable value from their health care partnerships. Providers, meanwhile, are increasingly focused on coordinated, patient-centered delivery models that reduce unnecessary variation and improve quality.
For self-insured employers, these trends represent an important opportunity. As health care costs continue to rise, organizations that align with innovative value-based care partners may be better positioned to improve employee health, create a better care experience and achieve more sustainable long-term spending.