In times of economic instability, health care providers are being forced to update their methods and provide more affordable as well as efficient services. There is an emerging trend of using so-called value-based models in the field of physical therapy. Just recently, Therapy Partners Inc. has been granted an award for this new innovation.
According to the website of the American Physical Therapy Association, Therapy Partner’s model is based on the information collected from patients over a period of one year. Their treatment is based on the data that has been collected, which enables them to provide more efficient services but at a low cost. As the name implies, the value-based model is based on the value a certain treatment provides a patient. Thus, the payment will not be based on the volume of services but rather on the quality – which makes it a more transparent model than the typical model of payment.
In our opinion, this model could encourage progress in the field of physical therapy as service providers will be compelled to re-assess their services to be able to compete with other value-based serviced providers. As to the patients, this can only be a good thing. There could be more accountability and transparency as to the services a patient is paying for.
According to APTA, physical therapists should be open to this new development as future health care reform might eventually lead them to such changes.
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Photo by: ReSurge International
Additional resource on the web:
Accredited PT Programs - Physical Therapy Board of California
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