The connotations of Value-Based Healthcare: interpretive perspectives and differences in perceptions

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Economics
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) is a complex concept with diverse interpretations.
• Misconceptions about VBHC can hinder its effective implementation.
• Understanding perceptual differences is crucial for aligning stakeholders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the connotations of Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC).
• To address and correct common misconceptions surrounding VBHC.
• To investigate how different demographic and geographic groups perceive VBHC.

Main Methods:

• Developed an analytical framework for VBHC connotations based on five key perspectives.
• Designed and administered a survey questionnaire to collect data.
• Employed statistical analyses, including ANOVA and chi-square tests, to analyze survey responses.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in perceptions of public welfare, equity, and costs were found between older adults and other age groups.
• Education, region, and urban-rural residency influenced views on patient-centeredness, subjective utility, and marginal value.
• Older adults prioritized health outcomes; middle-aged to older groups focused on functional recovery; survival duration was not a primary concern for most.
• Healthcare leaders focused on hospital expenses, while others considered patients' financial burdens.
• Urban residents valued survival duration, while county/township populations emphasized recurrence likelihood and recovery sustainability.

Conclusions:

• Respondents generally favored a balance between health outcomes and costs, prioritizing functional recovery over survival duration, with weak cost awareness.
• Older adults and eastern populations leaned towards individualistic and efficiency-focused values, while other groups favored collective and equity-based values.
• Urban populations adopted a multi-stakeholder view of patient-centeredness, emphasizing objective outcomes, whereas rural populations considered subjective utility and costs more readily.