Lessons from the American Academy of Family Physicians: Creating physician networks that drive success in value-based care
The following blog post was created using a transcript from a recent webinar presented by Karen Johnson, PhD, Vice President of Practice Advancement at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Primary care is a critical component of healthcare networks; providers in this space often serve as the front door to the healthcare system. This means physicians in your networks play a critical role in identifying risks and sharing important health information that can improve care transitions for members.
Although it’s important, primary care is not always set up for success. Today, many family physicians and primary care providers are left in the dark when it comes to information about their patients and their performance in value-based arrangements. Unfortunately, this prevents high-quality primary care from improving member outcomes and lowering the cost of care.
During a webinar hosted by WellSky, Karen Johnson, PhD., outlined several ways payers can improve collaboration with primary care physicians in their network.
Lesson 1: Payers are essential in helping break down information silos
Creating successful partnerships with network physicians depends on streamlining the collection and sharing of data. For example, today, physicians work with a panel of 2,000 patients. To get all the information they need for those patients, physicians must exchange information with 229 physicians and other clinicians in more than 100 practice settings.
To help improve visibility, payers should consider aggregating data into health information exchanges and databases that exist at the state level. Insights from this data can help improve referral efficiency.
Lesson 2: Payers can help primary care physicians create a holistic view of their patient population
Payers need to look at their beneficiaries in a more holistic way to be successful in value-based care. However, primary care providers often work with 10-14 payers. Today, different payers request different data, have different portals, and provide physicians with different reports. This not only creates administrative burnout for physicians in your network but makes it more difficult for those providers to look at their patient population holistically.
To help create a holistic view, payers can participate in multi-payer models. In a multi-payer model, PCPs can think more holistically about the patients they serve. This can lead to more timely interventions that can improve member outcomes and reduce the cost of care.
Ready to learn more?
Interested in learning more about how your physician network can drive success in value-based care? Click here to watch a recording of our webinar – Your physician network: The secret to success in value-based care.