Today, one of the top priorities of the US healthcare system is the prevention of overuse, underuse, and inappropriate use of medical services. Thus, it is imperative that the focus is shifted from quantity to quality. This means that medical facilities should be evaluated not by the amount of work they put in but on whether they meet performance goals (Joshi, Ransom, Nash, & Ransom, 2014). In my personal practice, I have witnessed the realization of the Hospital Value-Based Purchase Program and can share my observations.
The Hospital Value-Based Purchase (VBP) Program is an initiative launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that grants acute-care hospitals financial rewards for the high-quality care provided to Medicare beneficiaries. As of now, there are three criteria based on which a medical facility is assessed, namely:
- The quality of care provided to Medicare patients
- The implementation of evidence-based practices are followed;
- Better patients’ experiences during their stays (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2017).
Further, CMS (2017) outlines four key domains: safety, clinical care, efficiency and cost reduction, and patient and caregiver-centered experience. In the workplace, we consider patient safety a top priority and ensure it through the use of practices that reduce the risk of comorbidities, such as catheter-induced urinary tract infection or central-line associated bloodstream infection. Cost reduction is possible through being proactive in preventing disease instead of reacting to an already emerged issue. Lastly, the VBP program puts an emphasis on therapeutic communication that needs to be based on compassion, acceptance, and mutual respect. At my medical facility, we encourage interactions between staff members to make the best use of every person’s expertise as well as patient-provider cooperation. The latter is vital for relieving psychological distress, gaining explicit consent, and conveying health information.
References
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2017). Hospital value-based purchasing. Web.
Joshi, M., Ransom, E. R., Nash, D. B., & Ransom, S. B. (2014). The healthcare quality book: Vision, strategy, and tools. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.