The concept of “adding value in healthcare” can carry with it a daunting feeling of complex challenges, significant changes to treatment processes, or the long-term development and implementation of new technology. But does real “value” need to be as intimidating and challenging as these impressions suggest?
The primary value in healthcare is about providing the best possible patient outcomes while optimizing the resources of time, money, and technology. Generally, the concepts behind adding value in healthcare are highlighted by concepts such as:
- Patient-centered care
- Early intervention and preventative action
- Outcome-focused treatment processes
- Implementation of new healthcare technology, and of course
- Cost effectiveness while maintaining or, ideally, improving the quality of care
The requirements for all these concepts have been well thought out, discussed, and analyzed — and all are important in ensuring that healthcare provision will continue to improve long into the future. In designing services provided by healthcare organizations, the challenge is often compounded by the requirements of all the stakeholders interested in the treatment process. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to, the patient, the treatment provider, the payer, or even the patient employer. So many moving parts often add confusion to the complexity.
Implementation of “Added Value” projects, however, does not have to be complex or confusing.
Clearly identifying the value that the organization intends to deliver is a starting point. Detailing the reasons and goals for delivering the value will begin to structure an action plan for different levels of operations. As daily actions are implemented on different levels of the organization they are aligned in a common direction to achieve the goals, and ultimately deliver the intended value throughout the organization.
While the majority of strategic planning for the design and implementation of “added value projects and targets” will be found on the tables of upper management teams, it is often the front-line healthcare worker who has the experience of practical daily implementation. Ideally, the individuals performing daily management of patients and treatment processes should see no complexity, but instead experience well-defined ways of working that help them meet the goals of implementation.
Adding value becomes a multilayered phenomenon that can be sprinkled through an entire office, clinic, hospital, organization, or network. Of course, the different implementation layers will include complex strategic concepts, but provided the correct guidance, leadership, and freedom, value will arise from well-thought-out tasks and interactions that make up the daily operations.
Effective communication, individual leadership, and the prioritization of goals are some key tools for reducing the concerns about complexity.
These key goals allow for a more integrated strategic implementation, while at the same time preventing the stagnation of service development. The development of value creation within the healthcare environment requires the understanding of many moving parts and the demands influencers have. “Adding Value” can be complex and challenging, but when broken down to the primary goal of patient care, and delivered through daily actionable items for the individual healthcare professional, then the complexity can be turned down.
Understand complexity to reduce it
Here at Vertical we have worked to build the experience needed to understand the different complexities facing the healthcare sector. In the coming series of “Healthcare Complexity” articles, we will discuss some of the daunting concerns found in the modern healthcare environment, and hit on some of the solutions that – in the Vertical experience – will alleviate some of the discomfort presented by the ongoing challenges of such an exciting environment.
