The transformation of community hospitals through the transition to value-based care: Lessons from Massachusetts
Files
Published version
Date
2017
DOI
Authors
Louis, Christopher
Bachman, Sara
Roby, Dylan
Melby, Lauren
Rosenbloom, David L.
Version
OA Version
Citation
Christopher Louis, Sara Bachman, Dylan Roby, L Melby, David Rosenbloom. 2017. "The transformation of community hospitals through the transition to value-based care: Lessons from Massachusetts.." The American Journal of Accountable Care, Volume 5(4):26-30, Issue 5, pp. 26 - 30 (5). Available online: http://www.ajmc.com/journals/ajac/2017/2017-vol5-n4/transitioning-community-hospitals-to-valuebased-care-lessons-from-massachusetts
Abstract
Enabling community hospitals to provide efficient and effective care and maintain competition on par with their academic medical center (AMC) counterparts remain challenges for most states. Advancing accountable care readiness adds to the complexity of these challenges. Community hospitals experience narrower operating margins and more limited access to large populations than their AMC counterparts, making the shift to value-based care difficult. Massachusetts has taken legislative action to ensure a statewide focus on reducing healthcare costs, which includes a nearly $120-million grant program supporting community hospital and system transformation toward a value-based environment. The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization and Transformation (CHART) investment program is the state’s largest effort to date aimed at readying community hospitals for value-based care. In doing so, Massachusetts has created the largest state-driven, all-payer (payer-blind) readmission reduction initiative in the country. n this paper, we examine the design and evolution of CHART Phases 1 and 2 and offer insights for other states contemplating innovative approaches to bolstering community hospital participation in value-based care models.