Reforming primary care is “harder than rocket science”, according to Dr. Griffin Myers, the CMO of Oak Street Health, a primary care clinic provider. Oak Street Health takes a novel approach to primary care, focusing on Medicare and community-based care. Its doctors only oversee 500 patients each, giving each individual more time per appointment and focusing on the provision of value. Each clinic offers a community space with regular patient events and providing remote monitoring services. The centers also provide transport and counselors for insurance coverage queries. The ability to provide value-based care may be difficult to implement initially due to a lack of impetus to change the status quo, but the company’s model is working. The company funds itself by using a Medicare Advantage contracts, moving away from fee-for-service and actively investing in value. The approach has decreased the hospitalization rate for managed care patients by more than 40 percent.
Reforming primary care is “harder than rocket science”, according to Dr. Griffin Myers, the CMO of Oak Street Health, a primary care clinic provider. Oak Street Health takes a novel approach to primary care, focusing on Medicare and community-based care. Its doctors only oversee 500 patients each, giving each individual more time per appointment and focusing on the provision of value. Each clinic offers a community space with regular patient events and providing remote monitoring services. The centers also provide transport and counselors for insurance coverage queries. The ability to provide value-based care may be difficult to implement initially due to a lack of impetus to change the status quo, but the company’s model is working. The company funds itself by using a Medicare Advantage contracts, moving away from fee-for-service and actively investing in value. The approach has decreased the hospitalization rate for managed care patients by over 40%.