15 Aug The Task Force Releases Payer Strategies for Advancing Health Equity Through Value-Based Payment
WASHINGTON (August 15, 2024) – The Health Care Transformation Task Force (HCTTF or Task Force) – a group of leading health care payers, providers, purchasers, patient organizations, and value transformation partners – released a resource on Payer Strategies for Advancing Health Equity Through Value-Based Payment. The resource highlights case studies and strategies currently implemented by Task Force commercial payer members to advance health equity through value-based care and related payment strategies. This work builds upon the Task Force’s prior health equity work, specifically the Raising the Bar framework and the Health Equity Business Case, as well as the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network’s (LAN) theoretical framework.
Advancing health equity is a critical element of health care quality that directly ties to improved patient experiences and outcomes. Efforts to advance health equity reflect a moral imperative and can reduce health care costs through improved care management. Effective care management can help reduce avoidable hospitalizations and emergency department visits and eliminate low or no-value care. Health care payers play an important role in advancing health equity by designing and implementing value-based care models and payment arrangements that increase high-quality coordinated patient care.
In this resource, the Task Force presents case studies that describe efforts to:
- Develop infrastructure through up-front grant funding
- Utilize social risk adjustment methodologies
- Collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs)
- Facilitate low-income provider participation
“This new resource highlights the great work being implemented by our commercial payer members to promote health equity,” said Charlotte Burnett, Task Force Director. “These organizations are leading the way in developing essential infrastructure, laying the groundwork for a more equitable and effective health care system.”
“By leveraging innovative payment models and partnerships, payers can make significant strides in achieving health equity,” said Bridget Hurd, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Inclusion and Diversity at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “I am proud of the work being done at BCBSM and across other payers to address disparities and ensure that all individuals have access to person-centered, high-quality care.”
The Task Force plans to release a complimentary resource in the future, focused on provider health equity strategies. Together, these resources aim to support health care organizations and the delivery system in operationalizing and achieving their health equity goals.