Patient Activation for Population Health: Shifting From A Fee-for-Service Model Toward A Proactive, Preventive Approach with Increased Engagement

Abstract

America’s health care system is currently designed to drive up costs through inefficiency: Its fee-for-service formula endorses an episodic relationship between physicians and patients which places primary care providers in a perpetual state of troubleshooting and leads them to order a variety of unnecessary tests and/or procedures which further drive up the cost of medical care. As America’s political and health care leaders debate whether or not the most sustainable way to manage those costs is by offering preventive care – helping address problems before they arise/escalate and avoiding the need for expensive and, at times, extensive lists of services – this problem persists. The principles presented here are aimed at helping osteopathic providers better manage their practices and transition away from outmoded fee-for-service models toward a quality-of-care-based reimbursement system which is proactive, preventive and highly amenable to patient activation.