Perspectives on How to Chart a Path to Value-Based Dental Care
As an industry, we should not wait for regulators to force change.
Pathway to Value, a white paper co-authored by Healthscape Advisors, the National Association of Dental Plans, and CareQuest Institute, assesses the future of value-based care (VBC) in dentistry. The findings and insights, which aim to help organizations advance more meaningful implementation of VBC, are based on a market survey and qualitative interviews with payers and providers in dental service organizations.
Despite mistrust between payers and providers that each group is motivated by financial gain, the authors found alignment on key aspects of VBC, including preventive dentistry for both children and adults. The authors write that these areas of alignment could serve as a starting point to build trust going forward and shape the transition of dental reimbursement from fee-for-service to a value-based model.
Other Key Findings
- There remains no clear definition or standard for value-based care in the dental industry.
- Among payers who do not yet have experience with VBC, large payers expect to implement VBC in the next 2 to 5 years, while many small payers do not.
- Large DSOs and providers that treat primarily children or a mix of children and adults are more likely to have experience with VBC.
- Payers and providers are aligned in a commitment to enhance patient care and outcomes.
The authors advise stakeholders to take stock of current positions and learn lessons from those further along on the journey.
You may also be interested in:
- Value-Based Care Readiness Assessment, a tool to help dental and health care leadership teams evaluate organizational readiness to transition to a value-based care and payment model in dentistry.
- Unlocking Value in Alternative Payment Models, a report that reviews public-payer APM designs in several leading states, with a focus on models that include oral health.
- An Introduction to Value-Based Care in Oral Health: Moving from Volume to Value, a self-paced CE course that explains how VBC can improve patient outcomes while benefiting providers and payers.