In rural communities, the transformation towards value-based care is an ongoing journey rather than a fixed destination. Rural healthcare faces unique challenges such as geographic barriers, limited resources, and reduced access to specialized care. The value journey in these communities involves adapting care models to meet the specific needs of rural populations. It requires innovative solutions to overcome barriers which can bridge the distance between patients and healthcare providers.  It represents a fundamental shift in healthcare delivery, focusing on improving patient outcomes, enhancing the patient experience, and controlling costs. Ultimately, this journey involves continuous adaptation, collaboration, and innovation that is fostered by a mission-driven culture to improve community health and wellbeing.
One of this nation’s leading examples of value-based rural health transformation is the Bassett Healthcare Network, and we are joined this week Leonard Lindenmuth, their Vice President of Strategy and Population Health.  Since 2014, he has been leading value-based care transformation throughout Central New York. In this episode you will learn about what it takes to lead a successful value journey through a cultural evolution that increasingly seeks innovation to improve rural health outcomes.  We discuss such topics as risk progression, the use of commercial ACOs as a learning laboratory in value-based care, population health playbook success that focuses on pharmacy optimization and interdisciplinary team-based care, deploying remote patient monitoring to rural populations, how workforce burnout is related to fee-for-service payment, and the importance of SDOH innovation to better serve vulnerable patients in underserved communities.
 
Episode Bookmarks
01:30 Introduction to Leonard Lindenmuth, DHA - Vice President, Strategy & Population Health, Bassett Healthcare Network
02:00 Bassett Accountable Care Partners, LLC – BHN’s Accountable Care Organization founded in 2014
03:00 Support Race to  Value by subscribing to our weekly newsletter and leaving a review/rating on Apple Podcasts.
05:30 How a data-enabled value-based care journey changed the culture of the health system.
05:45 “The value journey helped us understand much more about ourselves so we can better care for our rural communities. It has evolved our culture.”
06:00 A calculated progression to downside risk as a rural healthcare provider.
09:00 An increase in Medicare Advantage penetration in the marketplace and how that is impacting value-based care strategy.
10:00 Developing a co-branded regional MA product and the intention to take aggregated risk with a national MA plan.
12:00 Leveraging brand equity of the health system to develop a MA plan in the future.
12:30 Approaching MA risk-readiness of providers through coding education.
13:00 “MA Risk is clearly on the horizon.”
14:45 Leonard describes BHN’s commercial value-based playbook strategy that includes focus on pharmacy spend.
15:30 The Ambulatory Intensive Pharmacotherapeutics (AIP) program to reduce pharmacy costs through lower medication-related adverse events, avoidable hospital admissions and ED visits.
16:00 How the AIP program reduced BHN’s commercial spend on pharmacy through comprehensive medication management.
16:30 1% of the population drives 55% of specialty drug costs.
17:00 Risk progression in a two-sided risk arrangement with Excellus Health Plan (a local Blue Cross affiliate).
18:00 What being in a Commercial ACO has taught BHN about value-based care transformation.
18:30 How a rural health system balances the “two canoes” – volume vs. value.
19:00 “We have to get to a point where value drives the equation, but it is not an overnight transformation.”
19:30 How a healthcare organization performs better – both financially and clinically – under a fully-capitated environment.
21:30 An alarming divergence of health outcomes and life expectancy between urban and...

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