This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Transforming care delivery in the spirit of value-based healthcare: how can a community of practice give inspiration?
29 September 2022
Value-based healthcare is a paradigm shift from a volume to a patient value-centred approach that is re-shaping today’s healthcare and promoting the much-needed change in focus from services to outcomes. It implies changing the way delivery processes are planned and designed, thus also improving teamwork within health organisations. EHMA has been among the founding members of the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award, which every year recognises teams who collaborate across disciplines and transform healthcare delivery, and ultimately patient lives. The care projects submitted to the UNIVANTS Award are great examples of how to implement value-based healthcare models in health organisations and have inspired two white papers produced by EHMA to inspire leaders and managers to embrace the value-based healthcare shift.
On 19 September 2022 in collaboration with Abbott and the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award, we organised the webinar ‘Transforming care delivery in the spirit of value-based healthcare: how can a community of practice give inspiration?’ with a view to inspire health leaders and managers to embrace the value-based healthcare shift. The webinar featured Prof Federico Lega, Professor of Health Administration and Head of the Research Centre in Health Administration at the University of Milan, Italy and Dr Colleen Strain, Manager of Scientific Leadership and Education at Abbott, Canada.
Prof Lega outlined what value-based healthcare means and explained why it is worth to adopt value-based healthcare frameworks to sustain transformational efforts that can generate best experiences for patients and more efficient settings where professionals can deliver the best possible care. Prof Lega explained that value-based healthcare – in the definition given by Prof Michael E. Porter – is based on six components that are equally important and that only combined enable the implementation of VBHC frameworks. These principles are:
- Structure healthcare organisations into Integrated Practice Units (IPUs). Care units should be created around specific medical conditions, cohorts or segments of patients, the so called ‘care-lines’. Organisations should not follow the typical vertical speciality silos, but horizontal structures with professionals from different specialities that can collaborate to generate the best clinical pathways.
- Measure outcomes and costs for every patient. Instead of measuring inputs and outputs, VBHC moves from volume to outcomes measured around the single patient or the segment of patients. Measuring outcomes also requires a complete new set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Move to bundle payments for conditions. Once new KPIs have been established, it is possible to move to different funding systems that align behaviours to expectations, while also creating new incentives to foster vertical and horizontal integration across health systems.
- Integrate multi-site care delivery systems. Logistics is crucial to create integration as it enables specialists and healthcare professionals to share the same spaces, to have a system to exchange structured messages and information avoiding working in silos.
- Expand geographic reach. Developing reference networks allows to identify where is the most advanced technology or specific expertise and to refer patients where the most effective care can be provided and the best possible outcomes obtained.
- Build an integrated information technology platform to have a good flow of information among specialists and further integration.
Prof Lega continued describing the four types of values that are generated when applying value-based healthcare frameworks:
- Personal value which refers to ensuring that patients get the most appropriate and effective care that is outcome centred and cost conscious.
- Technical and professional value that refers to the possibility to improve resources, practices and competences of specialists and HCPs through the development of multidisciplinary teams and VBHC guidelines.
- Allocative value which is developed when patients can be referred to the best place where they can receive the best care and benefit from the most specialised care teams and advanced resources.
- Societal value which implies achieving better quality of life and wellbeing for as many citizens and patients as possible.
Prof Lega then presented an aspirational agenda for health managers for the implementation of value-based healthcare frameworks. This agenda includes:
- Paying for value: mechanisms for health service delivery that look at pay for performance, pay for outcomes, and pay for health.
- Buying for value: procuring technologies or devices that have better impact on outcomes.
- Right task to the right staff: rethinking ways to assign tasks to different health professionals.
- Innovation follows value: how to reward and pay better for true innovations.
- Design a patient-centred and robust organisation: treat patients as ‘clients’ ensuring they are treated timely, efficiently, and given the right attention.
- Building the continuum of care
- Improving the patient experience through co-production and co-creation
- Team that are multidisciplinary and multi-professional.
For Prof Lega this agenda touches upon two transversal topics: firstly, the shift to outcomes and measuring what is relevant; as well as the shift from curing to preventing, managing risk factors in a different way so that prevention and not treatment becomes the focus.
Dr Colleen Strain presented the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award program, which is a global award that looks to recognise, inspire and celebrate integrated clinical care teams who took the opportunity to measure their value and showcase their outcomes. UNIVANTS is an application-based award where applicants submit their best practices and KPIs that outline how they have unified across disciplines to do something different to provide better outcomes. The name UNIVANTS comes from UNITY – teams working across the care continuum – and VANTS for avant-garde – teams doing something novel also using laboratory data.
She shared that the successes submitted by the winners of the past 4 editions highlight how change in healthcare systems can come in any form. Among the recognised projects 25% implemented a new test method; 22.2% focused on using informatics for decision-making, and 52,8% introduced new processes. Dr Strain concluded sharing that UNIVANTS is currently accepting applications for best practices until 15 November 2022.
CHECK OUT THE WEBINAR RECORDING AND MATERIALSUseful resources
- Information on the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award, the application process and the eligibility criteria can be found at www.univantshce.com
- Inquiries about the award can be sent via email to the Administrative Team at univantsofhealthcareexcellence@abbott.com
- The White Paper ‘UNIVANTS as a driving force for Value-Based Healthcare‘
- The White Paper ‘Making the difference – UNIVANTS’ contribution to the outcomes’ quest‘
Recent News
EHMA joins the European Network for Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Resistance (ENIPAR)
EHMA 2024 Conference Report: Shaping the Future of Health Management
European Parliament adopts its position on EU pharmaceutical reform in plenary
What our Members say
I have been active in EHMA since the first years of the '90s and I have seen its evolution from a small association of members interested in sharing knowledge on health management practices to the current status of reference and advisory key player for EU, health systems and organisations, stakeholders associations, industry and universities. EHMA is now a unique knowledge hub, policy advisor, community of practice and network of best in class organisations involved in health policy and management. A place where health managers can build their competences, policy-makers and stakeholder associations envision how to implement and sustain change through health management, industry leaders understand how to engage more effectively with health organisations and systems. The right place to nurture and grow health management capabilities and capacity for every stakeholder of health systems.
Prof. Federico Lega, University of Milan, Italy
Health management has a crucial function in shaping public health and health system challenges. The Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria had success in collaborating with EHMA on EU-funded projects that has resourced us to create new health management competencies for the future workforce. In addition to all classical definitions, health management is a science dealing with individuals, groups, and society at large. It is an art contributing to the beauty of our lives and an interactive communication process at all levels of institutions and human energy. I have also had the pleasure to chair the South Eastern European Special Interest Group which gives members a space to discuss and tools to address how health systems are managed in our regions.
Prof. Todorka Kostadinova, Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria
I enjoy the high level of interaction and engagement in EHMA’s activities, in particular during the annual conference where the panel discussions are rich and well prepared. As a hospital manager and professor of health management, EHMA motivates and inspires me to be creative. You go back home feeling energised from seeing old friends and making new connections, as well as being convinced of serving as EHMA’s ambassador. It’s a strong feeling of interdisciplinary engagement, but it also feels like being part of family-like community.
Prof. Sandra C. Buttigieg, University of Malta, Malta
EHMA is a pre-eminent organisation for everyone working in planning, managing and delivering health services across Europe. As a long standing member of EHMA I have always been impressed by the vibrant community of managers, researchers and academics it has created and by the many opportunities for sharing knowledge and funding opportunities it has brought to its members. Its international scope is impressive and its impact is often felt in management and research across European and national health systems.
Prof. Axel Kaehne, Edge Hill University, UK
Health workforce has become more essential in operating, managing and maintaining health systems lately, particularly in crisis and emergency situations. European healthcare professions and the workforce need to be high on the agenda of managers and decision makers. The Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University in Hungary is a longstanding EHMA member, because it connects us with collaborators and experts, with whom we can have complex debates, from whom we can learn and at the end find solutions in various challenging fields of healthcare management.
Dr Eszter Kovács, Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University, Hungary
As a hospital administrator and health management professor, I see on a daily basis that the healthcare challenges require talented and skilled managers to transform it. the EHMA membership has been beneficial to bring healthcare management research and education to the demanding healthcare services world, promoting healthcare management competencies and knowledge creation.
Dr Alexandre Lourenco, APAH - Association of Portuguese Hospital Managers, Portugal
Many healthcare systems in Europe and beyond are facing similar challenges which require innovative and creative solutions. EHMA’s annual conference, webinars, Programme Directors’ group and other activities and resources provide incredible opportunities for networking, connecting and sharing experiences. A distinct feature of EHMA is the diversity of members with representation from many countries, sectors and different communities of practice – academic, policy-makers, practitioners, managers, leaders and students. The annual conference is a highlight in the calendar year, offering a friendly, fun and learningful environment for emerging and established members to engage, collaborate and meet up with old and new friends. I am proud to be a member of the EHMA Board.
Prof. Ann Mahon, University of Manchester, UK
Society evolution, pandemics and ageing modify health needs. So, health policies and services are to change dramatically. EHMA, through webinars, workshops and annual conference provides an excellent insight to a professional changing world, favouring closeness to management innovation and the protagonists of these changes. As a primary care services’ manager, participating in EHMA activities is really worth it and allows to involve oneself in the innovation processes.
Dr Antoni Peris Grao, Consorci Castelldefels Agents de Salut (CASAP), Spain