Value Based Purchasing and Nursing Case Management

The implementation of value based purchasing will bring major changes to the delivery of health care in the United States. This effort is being led by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). Medicaid and private insurance plans are developing similar programs. These programs reflect a change in pay or incentives in the direction of primary and ambulatory care at the community level. This study described the use of nursing case management as a tool for monitoring and coordinating the impact of value based programs at the community level. It suggested that, under these programs, nursing case management can contribute to reduction of hospital admissions/discharges, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions. This can be accomplished through monitoring of utilization levels for these indicators. These are major objectives of MACRA and related programs. The study also suggested that nursing case management can contribute to the development of new programs, such as Complex Care, as a means of reaching these objectives. The study included estimates of the costs and benefits of using case management to reduce hospital admissions for low severity of illness patients at the community level. It suggested that the service can provide important opportunities for health planning and development in this area.