Improved care delivery best way to cut costs, say execs

Healthcare executives believe the biggest opportunities for cost-cutting in the industry are within the realm of improved care delivery and clinical operations, according to a survey from Huron Healthcare.

Nearly 80 C-suite executives were surveyed and most (71 percent) said they had high hopes for care delivery and clinical operations. But 55 percent of the leaders said their organization's primary challenge in the transition to value-based care will be adapting their cost structures to generate revenue and control costs.

More than 50 of the respondents were executive vice presidents, vice presidents or directors, while another 35 worked in the provider, payer or life science sectors, according to the survey results.

"These survey findings are consistent with what we are seeing and hearing from clients across the country," Huron Executive Vice President Gordon Mountford said in the survey results announcement. "Healthcare executives are continuing to make great strides to strengthen their organizations for the future, and they also see some specific challenges."

The survey results further revealed that:

  • A plurality of respondents (40 percent) said their primary tool for transitioning to value-based care would be developing new operational/organizational framework.

  • Clinical use decisions led the field of cost concern among executives, with 38 percent calling it their top concern. It was followed by labor/workforce concerns at 28 percent.

  • Hospital/physician relationships were named the top obstacle to clinical integration (35 percent), although a recent opinion piece noted slow but steady improvements within the industry on that front. Physician and clinician alignment was also named the second most challenging aspect of the model transition, at 26 percent.

As the healthcare industry transitions to value-based care, the C-suite itself is transforming, as the new model creates the need for new positions and responsibilities, leaders from different backgrounds, and a heavier focus on patient voices and improving care quality, FierceHealthcare previously reported.   

To learn more:
- read the survey results