The complexities of value-based care and payment models can be overwhelming. While consultants are ready to help healthcare organizations transition from volume to value, this course is your introduction to understanding how you can implement VBC in the real world. If you participated in the prior four courses, the information you explored—from the historical in Course 1 that explains the VBC imperative to the types of VBC payment models in Course 4—has helped you establish a foundation for understanding how to transition from a traditional fee-based model to a more innovative, value-based model. In this module, you will activate that foundation in examining the changes your organization will need to make (think: build organizational competencies) to succeed in value-based care and payment. In the previous course, you were introduced to the Accountable Care Learning Collaborative (ACLC). One of the models you will explore in this course is the ACLC’s Accountable Care Atlas model. This model, along with additional information from the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (HCP-LAN), will help you begin to understand the challenges and rewards of transitioning to value-based care. Note: If you have not completed Course 4 and have little to no experience with value-based care payment models, it is highly recommended that you complete Course 4 before proceeding with Course 5. Remember, as you read or hear terms or concepts that are new to you, have your digital (Word doc) or analog (paper) notepad handy to write them down. At any time, you can use your favorite search engine to learn more. Be a self-directed learner!

The previous module consisted of a detailed examination of the Accountable Care Atlas and the organizational competencies and phases it posits for transitioning to VBC. In this module, you will explore those concepts through the lenses of three types of healthcare organizations, tying those examples back to the types of value-based contracts discussed in Course 4. You will also explore a few topics not included in the Atlas, but worth calling out, and we’ll discuss some of the challenges along the journey to value-based care. Remember, as you read or hear terms or concepts that are new to you, have your digital (Word doc) or analog (paper) notepad handy to write them down. At any time, you can use your favorite search engine to learn more. Be a self-directed learner!

In this course, you have explored how to implement VBC in “the real world” by examining the changes organizations will need to make (think: build organizational competencies) to succeed in value-based care and payment. As with any organizational change, you have to keep one eye on the end goal, in this case, the rewards in transitioning to value-based care. An equal imperative is to keep front and center the challenges your organization is likely to experience in transitioning to/maintaining a value-based care model. Remember: when armed with thoughtful awareness of and an intentional strategy for how to address a challenge, that challenge pivots from obstacle to opportunity. Whether this is the only course you are taking or if you are pursuing the comprehensive program to earn a certificate, you should be able to work with others to apply what you are learning to a current or future work context, and to help those who are just beginning to explore value-based care. For this summative assignment, you will envision that you have been invited to speak as part of a roundtable discussion on the challenges of transitioning to value-based care and payment. The roundtable session will involve representation from a variety of healthcare organizations. Your task in this summative assignment is to develop an outline of talking points. Your points can be from the perspective of your current practice or, if you are employed in another type of healthcare organization or perhaps seeking employment in a practice or other organization, you can select a local or create a fictional small practice or patient-centered medical home (PCMH) practice for your example.