Seniors thrive in value-based care models

The patient-doctor relationship is at the center of value-based care, and the primary care provider serves a critical role as expert guide to ensure its full potential. Primary care is often the first step to receiving medical treatment, so a model offering up to 50% more time for patients to spend with their provider at each appointment directly impacts that very critical – and personal – relationship.

We often tell our patients at CenterWell that “It’s About Time,” where each visit allows an opportunity to talk about acute issues, ongoing chronic conditions, and many other parts of a person’s life that can influence health and wellness. This effect is amplified through the course of a year, where multiple visits offer space for difficult conversations to evolve as a patient’s comfort grows, dealing with such issues as end-of-life planning, stressors, and the social and economic barriers that can influence the efficacy of care.?

I’ve heard so many of our patients marvel at the amount of time our doctors spend with them. Patients love that our doctors take time to ask questions beyond the initial issue that brought them in for care, including how they’re doing, what’s going on in their lives and more. Our Care Integration Teams – composed of nurse care coordinators, social workers, behavioral health specialists, integrated pharmacists and community health workers – further expand our ability to offer whole-person care.

Research shows seniors thrive in value-based models that focus on whole-person, comprehensive, preventive care. Just a few data points that Humana Medicare Advantage health plan members enjoy under value-based care models:

• Preventive screenings at 3-11% higher rates
• 8-11% higher rates for screenings that require care coordination across providers
• 30.1% fewer inpatient admissions
• Increased adherence to medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension

Many patients do not receive guideline-recommended preventive, chronic disease, and acute care. One potential explanation is insufficient time for primary care providers . Fifteen minutes is just not enough. It’s barely enough time to introduce yourself, and it will never be sufficient to take care of patients with two or more chronic conditions and additional social issues. Our patients deserve better.

I can continue to tout how beneficial this care model is for seniors, but Paulette Hoffman, one of the first patients at CenterWell Senior Primary Care in Biloxi, described it so well when she sat down last year with her doctor, Dr. Tim Sanford. They both discussed what they love about a care model that allows them both to build a stronger patient-doctor relationship, and ultimately improve Paulette’s opportunity for a longer, healthier, more active life.

This type of care where a doctor has time to review records before an appointment, teach a patient the proper way to take her blood pressure at home, and conduct a detailed balance test to uncover any weaknesses – all while still having time to ask about her latest travel adventures – that’s the kind of care every senior deserves. That’s the care we provide at CenterWell – doctors practicing medicine the way they always envisioned in medical school. And really, it’s about time .

I’m proud of the work our teammates across the country are doing to bring this level of care and support to those most in need of it. I look forward to our continued expansion this year and bringing CenterWell Senior Primary Care to even more communities.