By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Changes to Value-Based Purchasing Measures in 2015
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Changes to Value-Based Purchasing Measures in 2015
BusinessFinanceHospital AdministrationPolicy & Law

Changes to Value-Based Purchasing Measures in 2015

Abby Norman
Last updated: December 31, 2014 9:00 am
Abby Norman
Share
5 Min Read
Value-Based Purchasing
SHARE

 

Contents
What is Value-Based Purchasing?Criticisms of Value-Based Purchasing2015 Value-Based Purchasing Measures: What’s Changed, What’s Stayed the SameThe Bottom Line?

Value-Based PurchasingAs Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) continues to take hold, there are some important changes to the expectations and regulations that govern it in 2015.

 

Value-Based PurchasingAs Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) continues to take hold, there are some important changes to the expectations and regulations that govern it in 2015.

More Read

What Do We Really Know About Patients?
Fighting Obesity: Slim Your Waistline and Prevent Health Problems
Blockchain Technology is Changing the Trajectory of the Healthcare Sector
Harvard Pilgrim CEO Eric Schultz on Consumer Engagement and Transparency [TRANSCRIPT]
Screening for Dementia: A Cautionary Tale Yet to Begin

What is Value-Based Purchasing?

If you need a quick refresher, Value-Based Purchasing is the incentive program that came along with the Affordable Care Act, which is hoping to help providers adjust to the move from fee-for-service models of pay to pay that is linked to quality rather than quantity of services. Under the VBP model providers and the organizations that they work for will be either docked Medicare payments for poor outcomes or awarded bonuses for striking a balance between high quality care and low cost. The hope is that VBP will inspire providers to become not just thriftier, but more innovative when it comes to providing care.

Criticisms of Value-Based Purchasing

The major criticisms of the VBP currently are perhaps the most obvious of any plan that focuses on or supports any kind of standardization of patient care: the needs of patients are more complex than ever before because we are an aging population and the rate of comorbid conditions continues to rise. What this points to is that, while we may be able to standardize care across some diagnoses, there could be an infinite combination of them within a specific patient – and how you account for those variations is something that critics say has yet to be properly addressed in the VBP model. As it stands now, a provider could be asking for penalties just by taking on the care of a complex, chronically ill patient. This happens because, as it currently stands, there is no way to accurately discern between patients who have truly complex care requirements – and those who are being over-treated.

Other points to consider along these lines is that there is no mechanism to prevent a doctor treating a patient for a hospital-acquired infection, for instance, to be saddled with the penalty even though they were not involved in the patient’s care when they acquired it. Similar issues of accountability are bound to crop up with patients who lack a primary care provider.

2015 Value-Based Purchasing Measures: What’s Changed, What’s Stayed the Same

For 2015, the number of measures taken into account by Medicare when considering penalties and bonuses for organizations will rise to 26 from last year’s 20. These measures include a mix of process, outcome and cost savings measures. The Studer Group reported a weight increase in outcome measures by 5%, an increase in efficiency by 20%, a decrease in clinical process by 25% and no change in weight for patient experience measures.

Breaking these down even further we can look at what constitutes those unchanged patient experience measures, in the form of HCAHPS, which still will account for 30% of the assessment. As you’ll recall, HCAHPS look at quality measures within an organization like communication between nurses and doctors, providers and patients, administration and providers, cleanliness and organization of a hospital, the quality and relevance of discharge information, etc. Similarly, process of care measures look for targeted clinical goals, like the administration of certain drugs within a certain time frame after a patient is admitted.

Outcome measures, which will see an increased focus in 2015, is perhaps what we most often associated with VBP when we engage in conversations about it: outcome measures like morbidity and mortality rates are no doubt some of the most important KPIs in healthcare, and will only continue to be as the move away from fee-for-service continues.

The Bottom Line?

As it stands, incentive payment for 2015 will rise to 1.50 % from 1.25% in 2014. The upward trend is set to continue each year through 2017, at which time it is set to top out a 2%.

Even though it’s too soon in VBP’s implementation to decide if it will solve the issues associated with fee-for-service and prove a profitable and sustainable alternative, most in the healthcare sector do agree that we need to move away from fee-for-service. It’s just a matter of determining what will replace it.

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Abby Norman
My name is Abby Norman and I am a healthcare blogger. With over 10 years of experience in the medical field, I have developed a passion for helping others understand the complexities of healthcare.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

personal injury lawsuit defenses from personal trainers
Policy & Law

Why You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer

August 23, 2022

Major Forces Driving Medical Technology

August 29, 2012

Innovating Healthcare System Strategy: Creating the Commercial ACO

September 30, 2012
dreamstime_11153121 - Steth Money
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformPublic Health

Are You Ready for Bundled Payments?

March 1, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?