This month, the Integrated Healthcare Alliance (IHA), in a joint effort with the California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA), released their medical group report cards to the public. For the first time, these report cards include total cost of care data. Cozeva supports IHA and OPA in their drive towards transparency in a value-based healthcare environment, and applauds them for their forethought to include clinical quality and patient experience alongside cost data. As the industry strives to achieve the Triple Aim (better experience of care, lower cost and improved population health), Cozeva believes that it is important to emphasize that value, rather than cost, is the true goal for healthcare. The side-by-side comparison of performance, patient satisfaction and cost provides a first look into the value that each medical group provides, allowing patients to make more educated decisions when selecting their providers.

It is also relevant to recognize that factors, including complex disease states and the necessity of high-cost procedures, may negatively influence a patient’s total cost of care. Similarly, in a fee-for-service environment, high variation in cost exists, for which providers are not responsible. Therefore, while the release of total cost of care data is a great start towards understanding and managing complex healthcare costs, Cozeva believes that value over cost should drive healthcare decisions.