Family Caregivers: An Untapped Resource in Value-Based Care
// By Marlene Kurban //
More than 50 million Americans — one in five — provide unpaid care for their loved ones valued at $950 billion annually. But their contributions to reducing the total cost of care are often overlooked and undervalued by health systems.
As the shift to value-based care gains momentum and more health systems participate in accountable care organizations and hospital-sponsored Medicare Advantage plans, management of services related to seniors and their caregivers has great potential to improve quality and cost of care — and positively impact the bottom line.
In the recent Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar, “How Integrating Family Caregivers into the Care Team Adds Value to Value-Based Care,” moderated by Dan Ansel, CEO of Active Daily Living, a panel of experts discussed the implications of rising demand for caregiving as the population ages. Alexandra Drane, co-founder and CEO of ARCHANGELS; Dr. Rick Martin, chief medical officer for the Keystone Accountable Care Organization and medical director of LIFE Geisinger; and Julia Evans Starr, president of Connecticut Community Care, shared their organizations’ policies and best practices to support seniors and leverage family caregivers as vital members of the care team.
The Need for a Family Caregiver Focus
Family caregiving is an emotionally charged issue that creates an opportunity for providers to create highly engaged and valued relationships.
Geisinger has tangible proof that support for families in the community is a winning formula. Its LIFE program has cut the total cost of care for enrolled patients in half.