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Many healthcare systems have made creating high-quality and value-based care a top priority. Southwestern Health Resources (SWHR) used clinical data and predictive analytics to put a total cost of care plan in place to provide affordable and quality care to thousands of patients in North Texas and cost-effective care for their employers.
Oftentimes in the healthcare market, purchasers primarily focus on discounts. According to SWHR Senior Executive Officer Andrew Ziskind, discounts are a priority because purchasers search for predictable and short-term gains.
“We fundamentally believe that a focus on the total cost of care is the right place to be and the right thing to be focusing on. What that means is that there are times where you invest more services now to create long-term health and candidly better outcomes and lower total cost of care,” he told HealthITAnalytics.
The total cost of care plan was implemented because it was the right thing to do in terms of best serving their patients, Ziskind noted. Within the Dallas-Fort Worth Market, SWHR is characterized by high utilization.
“Texas is second only to Louisiana in Medicare spending. We have high utilization rates and so the question is do you approach cost of care by trying to lower the cost but still have too much happening, or do you step back and say, ‘We need to focus on appropriate utilization.’ And when you start to look at appropriate utilization, you start pointing much more towards total cost of care.”