Value Based Healthcare, from theory to practice
Contents
Value Based Healthcare, from theory to practice
The Value Based Healthcare (VBHC) aims to generate the maximum possible value in the treatment for each patient, being the standardization in the measurement of said value the first step to make it possible. In this process, the collection, treatment and exploitation of data, as well as the correct definition, implementation and use of information technologies are critical in how to implement VBHC in any pathology and its treatment. However, there is currently a significant gap between the idea and its implementation.
A call to transform health systems
The pharmaceutical sector is always at the forefront of technological innovation, adopting innovative ideas and concepts derived from digital transformation, as is the case of value based healthcare (VBHC) or the measurement of health outcomes. It was originally introduced by Michael Porter and Elisabeth Teinsberg in their book “Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-based Competition on Results” (2006). This approach is the foundation on which rests what is probably called to transform current health systems.
Defining it is simple: identification of the effective value delivered to the patient, being This is the relationship between the relevant results for the patient and the costs associated with the entire care process.
Based on a current model focused on the volume of health services as a measure of the success of a health system (and consequently payment per process), reactive care and scant analysis of the results obtained from the patient’s point of view. Results-based medicine guides us towards a patient who, being the center of the system, values the positive results that the treatment has had on his disease and his quality of life.
In this way, the results reported by the patients themselves are promoted as part of the health indicators, prioritizing quality over quantity.
Why now?
sustainability of health systems leads us to a search for greater efficiency in the management and spending of our health. In addition, the patient now demands to have the same chances of healing as the rest. Therefore, you need to know (and therefore measure) the quality of the clinical treatments of health providers.
In addition, many clinical standards have been defined in recent years for systematic data collection, being ICHOM (International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurements) a reference in the creation of standard sets. These allow the systematic and standardized collection of information by pathology and the subsequent comparison of results. Likewise, the collection, treatment and exploitation of data has evolved thanks to advanced technological tools that allow the measurement of results.< /span>
Regarding the degree of effective implementation of health models based on results, the situation varies according to the country. The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries have many centers with this system incorporated into their management. In Spain, more or less isolated initiatives are being carried out from the public sector b> from the Sergas, Osakidetza or the Department of Health of the Community of Madrid. And from the industry, examples such as a results-based medicine project in cataracts at a European level by Johnson & Johnson Vision.
How to Implement VBHC: The Practice
There is therefore a significant gap between the theory and practice of Value Based Healthcare initiatives today. To minimize it, powerful tools are created that allow both the systematic and procedural collection of clinical data (CROM) and those reported by the patient (PROM AND PREM) in a real evidence environment.
These types of solutions provide a comprehensive response to effectively land any VBHC project because they address the three main factors that we consider critical:
Attitude towards transparency: The first step should be aimed at managing change among all those involved, from the professional healthcare to the ultimate manager of the healthcare process.
Management of personal data: The set of data collected by each individual must be treated with the same care as their own patient. For which, once again, innovative solutions come into play that autonomously collect the patient’s consent and comply with all GDPR standards.
Information Technology: Behind how to implement VBHC effectively lies information systems. Technology transversally provides all the necessary mechanisms to cover the needs described up to now. A standardized, robust, and cloudcloud-based information collection system ;”>, where the user experience is the axis on which its design pivots. An integration as synchronous as possible with hospital computer systems, especially the electronic medical record, so that data collection is as automatic and exponential as possible. And finally, a solid and scalable infrastructure that provides the highest standards of security and data processing that generates the necessary trust to facilitate the decision process.
The how to implement VBHC in the integration with computer systems of a tool that uses the most advanced Data Science techniques and specifically designed for the massive collection of standardized data.
This enhances patient empowerment by democratizing the collection of key data and providing valuable information to facilitate decision-making regarding their pathology. Going from theory to practice in the implementation of a model based on health results requires a balance between all these factors.
