Navy Medicine Introduces Value-Based Health Care

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Military Health
• Value-Based Healthcare

Background:

• The Navy launched a value-based healthcare pilot in 2016 at Naval Hospital Jacksonville.
• The project aimed to assess if integrated practice units (IPUs) and outcome measurement could enhance personnel readiness and reduce healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of a value-based healthcare pilot project.
• To evaluate the impact of IPUs on patient outcomes and costs for specific conditions.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a project leadership structure.
• Selection of four conditions: low back pain, osteoarthritis, diabetes, and high-risk pregnancy.
• Creation of multidisciplinary care teams (IPUs) for each condition and measurement of outcomes and costs over a 12-month period.

Main Results:

• Patient outcomes improved for three of the four selected conditions during the pilot.
• Factors contributing to the project's success were identified.
• Post-pilot, IPUs were consolidated or continued based on performance, with one discontinued.

Conclusions:

• The pilot demonstrated success in improving patient outcomes and offered insights into key success factors for value-based care.
• The model shows potential for broader implementation within the Military Health System and other healthcare settings.