In a new interview with HealthLeaders, entitled “How SSM Health is succeeding in value-based care,” SSM Health Chief Clinical Officer Stephanie Duggan says that providers who want to evolve away from fee-for-service medicine need to have “foundational building blocks” in place.
At SSM Health, Duggan says these formative pieces include:
- Integrated data analytics
- Payer contracting designed to manage alternative payment models
- Care management programs
- Physicians willing to take the journey
In a successful scenario, she says, value-based care “is about being there for the patients every time they need care.”
Duggan told HealthLeaders that managing transitions in care is key to the success of the enterprise.
"Good care doesn't end when you leave the hospital or leave the emergency department," she said. "Having someone guide you through care transitions has a lasting impact on how you manage to deal with the stress of an acute illness."
The care management programs in particular help SSM Health to see if what they are doing is effective, Duggan said. From 2022 to 2023, patients enrolled in one of the programs saw costs reduced by 17.5%.
“That is telling us that what we are doing is working,” she said.
