As value-based care becomes more prevalent, the quality of healthcare provided becomes essential, and it all starts with the provider. The Quadruple Aim not only focuses on the patient experience, but also on an improved clinical experience.

Posted in Risk Management on Friday, August 30, 2019

Today’s healthcare professionals frequently deal with patients suffering from chronic co-morbid conditions with expectations of care that extend beyond office hours. This puts greater financial and staffing concerns on providers, and can be especially difficult for those who have limited resources at their disposal. The pressure is immense, and may lead to unwanted outcomes that can negatively affect the quality of care provided.

The goal of value-based care is to advance the Triple Aim, an approach developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), which focuses on three keys: improved patient experiences, better outcomes for broader populations and lowering costs in order to optimize health system delivery.

Improved Patient Experience

Improving the patient experience aims to enhance the quality of care that patients receive. This aspect is concerned with the individual experience of care and how a patient can receive high-quality care effectively. The benefit of an improved patient experience is that patients are more educated and better understand their condition(s), and they are equipped with tools to better manage their own care to improve outcomes.

Better Outcomes for Broader Populations

Society is facing an increase in chronic diseases, and the Triple Aim approach believes that improving the patient experience for all individuals will ultimately lead to a decrease in prevalence and/or severity of chronic diseases for the larger population, and overall better chronic care management which will result in lowering costs.

Lowering Costs to Optimize Delivery

Creating a positive patient experience and improving the health of populations ensures that quality of care isn’t compromised, while costs are driven down. Therefore, while the goal is to improve the health of the population so that individuals don’t need to visit providers as frequently, if and when they do it will be much more affordable – both for the patient, and for the provider.

The Quadruple Aim

Each of the Triple Aim dimensions is critical, but one crucial aspect is missing—the care providers themselves. While the Triple Aim approach has worked in the past, many healthcare providers have adopted an additional step in the process—improved clinical experience— leading to the creation of the Quadruple Aim. The idea is that without an improved clinical experience on the provider side, the three other patient-centric aspects—improved patient experience, better outcomes and lower costs—won’t reach their full potential.

According to Trey Riley, senior director of sales and marketing for Privis Health, the Quadruple Aim focuses on improving the work life of those who deliver care. New healthcare innovations can help remove the burden of additional tasks for staff, allow providers to focus on episodic care, reduce provider stress, decrease the cost of care and achieve better patient outcomes.

Consider these low-cost solutions:

• Outsource health coaching and required documentation to third parties who employ experienced and licensed care managers
• Develop employee incentives and implement team documentation habits
• Effectively utilize technology that integrates universally with all EHRs and health data platforms
• Expand roles allowing nurses and medical assistants to assume responsibility for preventive care and chronic care health coaching under physician-written standing orders.

Continuity of care between office visits is delivering the right care, to the right patient at the right time and improving the overall healthcare experience. Think outside the box. Focus on what you do best and consider other innovative options to getting things done—efficiently and effectively.