With an integrated care continuum, patient outcomes are improved and efficiency promotes cost savings for both health systems and patients.
Current healthcare practices can be criticized for a focus on episodic care. Physicians may not plan for future care or focus on prevention. Besides being less comprehensive, this can also hurt the relationship between patients and doctors, and doctors may not build strong connections with their patients.
This lack of awareness and understanding due to poor documentation initiates the negative cycle within episodic-based systems in which patients find themselves unhappy with their care or even develop acute complications. This becomes a burden to the entirety of the health system.→ It causes stress on physicians and care centers and displeases both insurers and patients facing the high costs of emergency treatment as opposed to preventative treatment over time.
The care continuum encompasses a patient’s healthcare journey throughout their lifetime –from preventative care to medical incidents and rehabilitation.
When efforts are made to coordinate communication across health systems, a provider is able to understand and act in response to the entirety of their patients’ medical history versus the narrow scope they see at admission.
So, where do the benefits lie in uniting the care journey of each patient within a health system?
“To be successful, providers must transition from discrete entities to collaborative networks focused on optimizing both outcomes and costs.” - Beckers Hospital Review
In a value-based care continuum, the logistics of a holistic care approach are supported by technology.→ Information systems, such as VitalsMD®, showcase a global overview of a patient’s medical history, provide alerts for key risk indicators, and communicate admission and discharge information with primary care physicians .
In addition, integrated record keeping across health systems increases physician efficiency and allows providers to better understand their patients’ medical history, enabling them to anticipate potential adverse reactions to treatment and avoid redundant and error-prone care. →
Furthermore, an integrated care continuum promotes financial gain for health systems who might otherwise be penalized for excessive avoidable readmissions → and, in turn, promotes patient satisfaction.
It is increasingly clear that the future of value-based care will revolve around aligning financial incentives while promoting quality of care processes → – ensuring better outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost-efficiency.
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