The Transition to Value-Based Care: Technology Opportunities and Challenges

The transition from fee-for-service to value-based healthcare affects everyone, from payers to patients to employers. While this transition opens up complex healthcare challenges, technology companies are viewing it as an opportunity to deliver valuable solutions that can solve these challenges.

For example, using the latest database technology, companies are mining patient data records to predict which patients are at risk for developing a disease, such as in-hospital sepsis, a bacterial infection that kills millions per year.

Payers (insurance companies) and providers (hospitals and hospital groups) are leading the way in adopting new technologies that will help physicians transition from charging for office visits (fee-for-service) to charging based on the value of the services they provide for patients (value-based care).

The roadblocks standing in the way of the transition to value-based care are many, and most are based on physician, provider and payers’ willingness and capability to adopt and implement new technologies that, in their experience, they think will be difficult to support from an IT infrastructure standpoint.

Implementing the very same systems that payers and providers fear will cause stress, will in fact bring relief to the IT systems and the people that are overburdened. For example, big data companies like Altiscale are advancing precision medicine by helping providers determine optimal treatments based on genetic information, molecular analysis, environmental factors and statistical clustering.

As healthcare organizations navigate this transition, technology will play a key role in making it smooth and effective. Check back soon to see how technology can ease the transition.

Introducing the New Faces of BOCA: Briana Coons

BOCA isn’t a traditional communications agency. We have a specialist model to ensure that employees are happy and clients experience the highest results, which is why we first created the PR Analytics and Research Team. We’d like to introduce you to Briana Coons, one of our first additions to the team and our BOCA family.

Originally from Las Vegas, Briana went to college in Reno and has lived in the Bay area over the past seven years. She previously worked as an emergency 911 dispatcher, is a huge SF Giants fan, loves food and spends most of her free time training for triathlons or planning for her upcoming wedding.

What brought you to BOCA?

Believe it or not, fitness brought me to BOCA. I'm part of a local workout group and Brittney Danon, an SAE at BOCA, posted about a job opening at BOCA. I've known Brittney for 3 years and she always spoke highly of the people she worked with. Previously, I never really thought about working in PR, but now I'm happy I took a chance on BOCA. 

How would you describe your position?

I came in as part of the PR Analytics and Research team. Most of my days are spent conducting news sweeps for the agency and clients, tracking and sorting coverage, logging data and keeping my ears peeled and my fingers on the on the pulse of hot, timely news topics for clients to comment on. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve received a crash course on the media side of PR and excited to keep learning more about media relations.

What were you doing before BOCA and how have you been able to transfer your skillsets over to the world of PR?

Over the last seven years, I was a 911 dispatcher for a local police department. Prior to that, I worked as a dispatcher for the real "Reno 911.” My favorite saying at BOCA is, "It’s PR, not ER." Dealing with emergency situations has given me a calm demeanor that translates well into PR. I'm able to think quickly on my feet, remain calm and speak professionally in any situation.  

Outside the BOCA environment, what are you passionate about?

I'm passionate about fitness, specifically long distance triathlons. And food. I love to cook and love to eat. In the past year, I've competed in Ironman 70.3 races -- for those of you unfamiliar with triathlons, that’s a 1.2 mile open water swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run, all on the same day. While it may seem crazy, it gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm also very passionate about health and wellness and am in the process of finishing my bachelor's degree in Healthy Lifestyles Coaching at Arizona State University Online. I'm also taking an online course to become an Ironman certified triathlon coach. Many people in this country lack the resources, time and money that triathlons require. As part of the Women for Tri ambassador group, I hope to get more people involved in the sport. Maybe I'll even convince a few BOCA staffers to join me in a race next year!

Is there anything you're currently training for?

I'm currently training for my first full marathon in December. If you asked me five years ago if I thought I'd ever even train for a 5k, I probably would have laughed at you. After my marathon, I'll start gearing up for another Ironman 70.3 race and possibly a full Ironman in July. I did my first triathlon after a friend dared me to... but as a result, I've never looked back.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

After going through some difficult times a few years ago, I found the girls of Tone It Up, Karena and Katrina. Their energy and message spoke to me in a way no other diet or fitness program had before. They encourage women to be their best self and to lift others up. My inspiration is not one single person, but rather the entire community of strong, beautiful women I've been able to connect with from all over the world. I've met some of my closest friends through Tone It Up and have been inspired to try so many new things and make myself a priority health-wise. If not for this group of women, I doubt I would have gone back to school, changed careers or crossed any finish lines. 

What tip would you give someone looking to balance work, a healthy lifestyle and training for a race?

Balance is hard. I juggle school, work, training, wedding planning and commuting over three hours per day. While it’s not easy, and I certainly miss out on a few social events, I know the struggle and sacrifice is well worth it. Plan, plan some more and be flexible. Some days, I don't get my workouts in. Other days, I have Taco Bell for dinner. And on another day, I eat lean, clean and green, rock it at work and run 10 miles afterwards. Make the healthy choice 90 percent of the time and it will pay off.

Also don’t be afraid to take chances. I was stuck in a career I didn’t love for the last 11 years, working 60 hour weeks and missing holidays with my family. I took a chance on BOCA a few months ago and could not be more thankful for the people and experiences they've given me. BOCA has shown me what it’s like to work for a company that truly cares and gives me the flexibility I need with school. I work hard so I can play hard. And so far, it's paying off. 

What Is Value-Based Healthcare and Why Should You Care?

The transition from fee-for-service to value-based care in healthcare is affecting everyone, from payors to patients to employers. Fee-for-service is now an outdated model of patient care that bases physician payments on the number of office visits or medical procedures that they perform. Value-based care reimburses physicians and healthcare providers for the quality of patient service that they provide.

What’s driving the shift to value-based care? Two things: the rising cost of healthcare and the unequal quality of care between patients.

How much does healthcare cost? The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country – about 18 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). At the current rate that healthcare spending is increasing, the U.S. could be spending 34 percent of GDP on healthcare by 2040.

Why does this matter, and why do we need value-based care? Because everyone deserves equal access to quality, low-cost healthcare, and if we don’t reduce the increasing cost of healthcare we risk reducing the amount of take-home pay for all Americans, which would impact the continued economic viability of the U.S.

Competition under the fee-based service model has unfortunately encouraged U.S. healthcare providers to shift costs, accumulate buying power and restrict services. In their must-read book called Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results published in 2006, Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg argue that new benchmarks in the healthcare industry can be created by shifting to a new model based on competition to deliver the highest quality of care for patients at the lowest cost.

Today, the sea change in healthcare delivery that was recommended by Drs. Porter, Teisberg and many others is well underway. Major changes in U.S. policy have been enacted that are affecting the way payors, providers and physicians are delivering care. This, in turn, is creating new opportunities in the Silicon Valley and beyond for new technology and tech-enabled solutions to solve healthcare problems.

Introducing the New Faces of BOCA: Erik Fowle

Ready to meet another new face at BOCA? Erik Fowle joined BOCA’s writing team this summer! Originally from the SF Bay Area, Erik went to college in upstate New York and has lived in San Francisco the past four years. During the past five years, Erik has worked in tech PR, at a software startup and as a freelance writer. He’s a big Bay Area sports fan – football and hockey being his favorites – and is always up for a Giants game.

What brought you to BOCA?
Short story: Natalie Wolfrom!

Long story: I was writing as a freelancer for about two years. But it's tiresome and often frustrating when work is inconsistent and I spend every day by myself. BOCA was both the end of a long journey looking for a full-time writing position and the beginning of collaborating with a real team of other creative human beings.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?
Writing has always been a passion, an emotional and creative outlet for me. I love that about it more than anything. I think people view writing as something that's totally on the right-brained side of the spectrum. And that's very true of, say, writing a short story or jotting something down before you go to sleep at night. But with projects like press releases and ghostwritten articles, I find that writing often feels much more like putting together a puzzle. How do I turn this research into something interesting that people will want to read? How do I turn a CEO's answers into a poignant story? There's a lot more logic involved in writing assignments than one might imagine.

I enjoy that I can be creative and still solve a puzzle. When a release I've written crosses the wire, a publication posts a byline I worked on or a client says, "This is great," I feel a big sense of accomplishment. Writing is so personal regardless of the topic or assignment, which is why I think it can be hard to accept criticism. There isn’t a better feeling than when you receive positive feedback or when you finally turn something into a finished product.

Who are your favorite authors/writers, and how have they influenced you today?
Oh, man. I love Ernest Hemingway. The fishing scene in The Sun Also Rises made me laugh because I can imagine sitting with a friend, drinking a few beers and having the same type of conversation they had. The Great Gatsby is my favorite book. The last page or so in particular is one of the most beautifully written things I've ever read. It's a reminder that not everyone has to be a minimalist. That there are so many different styles and so many ways to make a story work.

On the Road is a sometimes-unintelligible stream of consciousness. But it's amazing. I enjoy how so much of it is set in San Francisco and Northern California.

Cormac McCarthy is also an awesome author. Hemingway and McCarthy’s prose is a lesson in precision. In accomplishing so much with so little. In focusing on movement and action and dialogue.

Mario Vargas Llosa's The Bad Girl is an incredible love story. Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude is really something else. I wrote a paper in college on The Catcher in the Rye that I'm really proud of. I could go on.

What are some tips that you can suggest to the everyday person who wants to improve his/her writing?
Pay attention to what you read. The next time you read a book, an article or a story, find something that that author does well. Figure out why that style or strategy works. Then focus on that in the next thing you write. I find that writing, like sports, necessitates focus on one small thing at a time. You're not going to just go out there and get better at every aspect of soccer. But if you work on a skill until you've mastered it, then work on another and another, eventually the finished product is greater than the sum of all those individual things you've learned how to do. Writing is the same way. Focus on one thing at a time. Get better at it. Then focus on something else. It will all build on itself. Above everything, practice. Keep yourself writing something every day. Even if it's short or if you’re not happy with the initial draft(s). Write something.

My roommate has a New Yorker subscription so I'll open up to the fiction piece and read the first few paragraphs. If I'm hooked I'll keep reading. If not, I stop. It's helpful to see what makes those writers successful at developing a sense of mystery and suspense.

What is your tip for someone looking for a content position at a PR agency?
That's a good question. I really don't know. I got lucky with BOCA. When you're out there looking for a position, look for something that will allow you to focus on writing as much as possible. Once you've spent some time in a content-oriented role, it will be easier to move into other similar positions. Hopefully.

What do you do outside of work?
I play in a men's lacrosse league in the spring. We have games in Sausalito every Saturday and go to a big tournament at Lake Tahoe every summer - that's been a highlight of my summer for years. I play soccer in a few leagues in the city and try to play sports as often as possible. I don't like running for the sake of running - someone's got to be nipping at my heels if I'm going to get my legs moving.

I hike (Point Reyes is one of my favorite places for that) and sit in Golden Gate Park (or just the Panhandle) and go to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. I like food. I like dive bars. I like Yosemite and I like kayaking. I like crossword puzzles (Mondays and Tuesdays, anyway). I love going to sports games. Hockey games are so much fun in person. It mixes the physicality of football with the fluid movement of soccer and, oh, yeah – they do it all on ice skates.

Do you have any current writing projects outside of work? If so, what are they?
I want to get a short story to a point where I'd consider submitting it for a contest. It would be fun to see what people actually thought of my writing.

Are you into spoken words or poem reciting? If so, what are some things you enjoy writing about?
Nope. I'm a terrible poet and don't enjoy the spotlight (unless it's playing sports under the lights). As far as writing in general, I write about whatever's on my mind. I write about things that keep popping up in my head over and over. I write about things I've done and seen. I write things I think I'd enjoy reading.