Value Based Health Care (VBHC)

The goal of value-based healthcare (VBHC) is to improve patients’ health outcomes while reducing the overall cost of healthcare. To monitor and improve both individual and system outcomes, it is necessary to collect clinical outcome measures in conjunction with patient-reported outcome measures.

In recent decades, there have been significant improvements in cancer care and evidence indicates that comprehensive cancer care that is affordable, accessible and able to continually improve patient outcomes requires coordination of multi-disciplinary specialties. Despite this, the present cancer care pathways remain fragmented. Silos between services create barriers to the implementation and integrated delivery of programs already known to be effective. Those engaged in cancer control agree that effective communication between health professionals with greater access to relevant, timely information would significantly improve outcomes for cancer patients.

Health care services currently measure value as short-term cost-saving cycles which focus on the clinical absence of disease rather than enhancing long-term patient outcomes. In addition, data collected by health services generally only reflects one dimension of cancer care. Whilst it is important to assess the quality, safety and cost of service delivery, the tangible effects of the service on the wellbeing of patients and their families are largely unreported. Focus now needs to be given given to a more transparent, value-based approach to service delivery, payment, and policy.

CIC Cancer and VBHC

Through use of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) standardised datasets to measure clinical and patient-oriented outcomes, the CIC Cancer project enables the implementation of VBHC in public and private settings in WA.