Value-based Care: Asking Right Questions at the Right Time

Humana develops close relationships with providers who partner with us to practice value-based care in their clinics and medical centers. This allows us to lead the way and share best practices, innovative solutions, and practical resources and tools to deliver value-based care.

In one such partnership, we have worked with Main Street Health to develop a simple interview tool to enhance communication between the patient and their doctor. It is based off our “Let’s Talk” tablet used in CenterWell Senior Primary Care centers by nurses to prompt discussion about often overlooked health-related concerns.

CenterWell’s tool is electronic while Main Street Health’s tool is a physical card they’ve named the Patient Experience Card. Topics include recent falls or balance problems, level of exercise or physical activity, any issues with leaking of urine, recent laboratory work or test results, and levels of stress, anxiety or feeling down. Responses to questions on the card will help to guide treatment options and ensure that patients and our members receive quality care.

Working in a partner clinic in rural Tennessee, Margaret, a health navigator with Main Street Health, used the Patient Experience Card to help a Humana member prepare for her visit with her primary care physician.

“I have been using the Patient Experience Cards during face-to-face check-ins with all of my patients, and I had a Humana Medicare Advantage patient yesterday,” said Margaret. “After checking up on her and touching base about the items we discussed at our last visit, I brought out the card.”

“We sat side by side and I said, ‘Sometimes during the visit with the doctor, we get so focused on the issue at hand that we forget to touch base on items that are easy to overlook. But these can make a big difference in your quality of care. Here is a card with five things on it that we sometimes forget to talk to you about,’ and then I proceeded to ask her about those five things.”

“She ended up having needs for three of the listed items, including leaking of urine which she reported as severe. I let her know I would hand the card to her primary care physician before he walked into the room so he could make sure and discuss these items with her today. She thanked me to taking the time to ask her about things she hadn’t realized were important.”

“I have to say that I walked out of that room a little taller and prouder,” said Margaret, “I thank Humana for giving us these tools and opportunities to make patients’ lives better, even when they don’t know what they have been missing!”

For this patient and for many others, taking the time to ask the right questions ahead of time helps providers and patients to partner which ultimately improves our members’ health. The doctor addressed this member's health needs during their appointment and continues to follow up with them to ensure the member's health is as best as it can be.

The value-based care model allows both the patient and physician to have more time to discuss medical and social concerns, preventative health screenings, condition-based education, whole-person health, treatment plans and lifestyle management options. Mostly importantly, innovative yet simple tools to improve discussions between patients with their healthcare team ultimately help to improve health outcomes.

Learn more about Humana’s approach to value-based care in the 2023 Value-Based Care (VBC) report.

Other providers are available in the Humana network.