"Value-Based" Healthcare

Red-headed stepchild of "evidence-based" medicine?

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota is rolling out a new plan to steer people toward providers that meet its standards of cost effectiveness and "conformance to proven methods of health care."

Blue Cross is evaluating hospitals on seven patient care criteria, including whether they formally track their post-operative infection rates and use a computerized system to order drugs. Doctors, for now, are being graded by whether they primarily admit patients to high- or low-tier hospitals. In the future, Blue Cross may evaluate doctors on other quality measurements

Patient care isn't the only measurement Blue Cross and other tiered-plan providers use to evaluate health care. They also grade providers on their costs. The highest-quality providers can still be in the lower tier if the insurers decide they are too expensive.

Haven't we heard this somewhere before? You say haven't? Well, we think you're too trusting, but if you insist on thinking it's really, truly new, you can read the rest here.