Abstract
As health care systems change to align with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), these health care delivery systems and funding mechanisms have an increased focus on the quality of care delivered and the perceived value of health care. The ACA is encouraging the health care system to embrace consumerism. Consumerism is considered the engagement of health care consumers in their health and medical decision making as a means to improve their health status while controlling health care cost. To accomplish consumerism, health care delivery systems need to be integrated within a collaborative interprofessional practice framework. Quality and value are two of the fundamental drivers that are reorienting our health care delivery system into a cost-effective health care delivery system. The formula for health care value is presented as: value = quality/cost (quality divided by cost).
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA, 2012) proposes four value-driving capabilities that affect value, quality, and cost. These four value-driving capabilities are necessary within the redesigning of our health care systems:
People and culture: the instillation of a culture of collaboration, creativity, and accountability
Business intelligence: the collection, analysis, and linkage of accurate quality and financial data to support and drive organizational decision making
Performance improvement: utilization of data to reduce variability in administrative and clinical processes and to improve the cost-effective delivery of quality outcomes
Contract and risk management: development and management of effective integrated health care networks and the ability to predict and manage risk at the patient and population level.
Two other implementation elements affecting health care quality, value, and cost are patient satisfaction and cost transparency. The typical patient quality concerns focus on access to care, safety, respect, and outcomes. Patient satisfaction will be affected by ensuring that these typical quality concerns are addressed through increased provider accountability. Cost transparency ensures that patients have clear information that is readily accessible regarding the price that is required for their health care services. The provision of accurate and transparent cost information further engages the patient as an informed decision maker regarding their care.
In summary, the ACA is driving quality, value, and cost as critical factors that need to be reformed to ensure that men as patients are informed, engaged, and collaborative health care decision makers regarding their health and health care services. Centers of Excellence are models frequently used to integrate and concentrate the expertise of a group of scientists and researchers within a focused area of health care concern. I am proposing that we explore and use Men’s Health Centers of Excellence as a means to transform the delivery of men’s health care services. These Men’s Health Centers of Excellence can promote the integration of clinical interprofessional practice and current men’s health research within one network of care to ensure men have access to the best evidence based health care delivery services, while meeting the ACA requirement of quality, value, and cost transparency.