Delivering Value-Based Care With E-Health Services.

Abstract

The emergence of value-based healthcare requires new approaches for physicians and their organizations in serving their patients. Traditional medical practices have centered on physicians detecting and responding to patients' needs, but with new payment models and technologies, practitioners will be required to prevent health issues from developing. Transitions of care and service coordination among providers and specialists need to be seamless as patients are educated about their health issues and better connected to their medical information. A key enabler of this change will be how well patients can collaborate with their care teams, and several e-health disciplines catalyze this process. In fact, there is an e-health imperative to affect outcomes and patient experiences while lowering costs.The Triple Aim objectives of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement are more achievable with the integration of e-health tools and services with clinical care. The mobile revolution and improvements in data management practices now make improved care coordination possible throughout a patient's journey. Telehealth services facilitate connected care and inform physicians with data that flow into a patient portal, which improves risk monitoring and enables proactive treatment. The growing use of social media fosters community development, which enables patients to share experiences with others, further empowering consumerism in healthcare delivery. Finally, e-health tools enable customization of care for large populations as we stratify patient groups. Clinical data scientists and informaticists partner with physicians to establish and operationalize programs that identify new best practices and drive behavior change-especially for those patients with costly chronic conditions and comorbidities. E-health disciplines are the lifeblood of a system that engages patients in new ways to help them and their physicians adhere to practices that support value-based care.