Introduction to the series
A lot of population health management has focused on primary care, but the industry hasn’t made significant strides in specialty care—even though it drives the bulk of health care spending.
That’s because involving specialists in value-based care is hard. Not only is specialty care a more diverse space, but it's also more tied to traditional fee-for-service reimbursement and episodic care delivery. We’ve previously discussed how engaging specialists in accurate HCC capture is a ‘no-regrets’ opportunity in this hybrid financial incentive state—but what ambitious, yet feasible behavior changes remain for specialists?
In this series, we discuss three near-term strategies to engage specialists in improving population health—even with significant fee-for-service reimbursement. These strategies aim to reduce low-value referrals to specialty care and ensure patients receive the right level of care at the right time.