At athenahealth, we want to make it easier to navigate the world of value-based care. In this issue, we share stories of healthcare organizations of all kinds that have found success in value-based care. We begin with a straightforward primer on value-based care programs and what participation looks like. From Primary Care First to Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) to
risk-sharing ACO arrangements, practices are finding success across the value-based care spectrum — including small practices that worried they were too small to really “do” value-based care. One important step is simplifying quality management to really focus on the metrics that matter most. And technical advancements in telehealth and experiential interoperability are offering better
visibility into the complete patient story, advancing the goal of more patient-centered care. This is the kind of care that federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) have been providing for decades. In the pages ahead, we share FQHC lessons — around care coordination, innovation, and team-based care —that can make it easier for other healthcare organizations to make value-based care central to their practice.