The move from fee-for-service or volume to a value-based healthcare system has been top of mind for stakeholders across the healthcare industry for several years now, with the government pushing lofty goals where that transition is concerned. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, has set a goal to have 30 percent of Medicare payments in alternative payment models in categories 3 and 4 by the end of 2016 and 50 percent in categories 3 and 4 by the end of 2018. Overall, HHS seeks to have 85 percent of Medicare fee-for-service payments in value-based purchasing categories 2 through 4 by 2016 and 90 percent by 2018.

The transition poses one of the greatest financial challenges the U.S. healthcare system has ever faced. 

Finding success in managing and optimizing these models will require an unprecedented level of communication, information sharing, and data integration. 

This will be the focus of the HIMSS18 Business of Healthcare Symposium, which will explore how successful healthcare organizations are reimagining their patient engagement strategies, contracted provider arrangements, and data analytics approach, as well as managing the legal issues in order to integrate value-based models and strategies.

The American Medical Association’s Assistant Director of Federal Affairs Sandra Marks will address attendees on real-world examples of APM proposals that are designed to help patients better manage chronic diseases and prevent exacerbations as well as how practices can choose APMs that will support their efforts to improve patient outcomes while lowering health care spending.

Herrin Health Law firm founder Barry Herrin will help shed light on the compliance risks created by antitrust, insurance, and tax laws and understand how to mitigate those risks that surround the world of APMs.

In a session devoted to aligning hospital systems and independent physicians, Edwina Mallery, Assistant Vice President of Information Systems for Lafayette General Health and Amanda Logue, Lafayette’s Chief Medical Informatics Officer, will share lessons learned from their own efforts, results achieved to date, and offer solid recommendations for how you can emulate their success.

Attendees of the symposium will gain valuable insights in discussing how to execute an early engagement strategy for patients and their care team, list three legal issues organizations must consider when executing their alternative payment model strategy and understanding the key components to creating alignment between hospitals systems and independent physicians.

The all-day HIMSS18 “Business of Healthcare Symposium: Going from Good to Great in a Value-based World,” is scheduled for March 5 in the Venetian, Delfino 4002. Register here.

Twitter: @BethJSanborn
Email the writer: beth.sanborn@himssmedia.com