For value-based care to work, docs need greater access to patient data

Physicians and health plan executives aren’t on the same page when it comes to the question of how much progress has really been made in moving the healthcare system to value-based care, a new survey reveals.

The study conducted by Quest Diagnostics and Inovalon set out to look at that issue, along with the factors that stand between a largely fee-for-service delivery model and one where the focus is on ensuring high-quality patient outcomes.

Quality measures are way too complex--and that makes it difficult for physicians to achieve them, say 74 percent of physicians and health plan executives in the survey.

But here’s an area where health plan executives and doctors disagree: Whereas 57 percent of the former support value-based care, only 33 percent of physicians report such support for value-based care.

“This study shows that physicians and health plan executives differ in their perceptions of how effectively the nation’s healthcare system is progressing to value-based care,” said Harvey M. Kaufman, M.D., senior medical director at Quest Diagnostics, in an announcement. “It also reveals that complexity and incomplete access to patient information may be greater obstacles to adoption than previously realized. We hope the study’s findings spark greater collaboration by providers and health plans and dialogue about new solutions.”

Here are some additional findings in the survey:

  • Sixty-five percent of doctors say they don’t have access to all the health-related information they need to treat their patients.
  • Sixty-four percent of both health plan executives and doctors say doctors don’t have access to the tools they need to be successful in value-based care.
  • Eighty-five percent of doctors report being likely or very likely to use a tool that helps identify gaps in quality, risk, utilization and insight into medical history, as long as that tool fits into their clinical workflow at the point of care.

The online survey included 450 participants: 300 hospital-affiliated primary care doctors in private practice and 150 executives at health plans.

- check out the survey
- read the announcement