7 lessons from health plans that manage complex patients

1. Despite increased focus on consumer-driven healthcare, complex patients are not consumers in a traditional sense, when someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness they simply want to be cared for

 

2. Health plans must respect patients’ dignity--including their right to make choices about their care

 

3. Trust is vital in the effort to engage providers. One way to obtain physician buy-in is to place navigators in care facilities to act as guides for complex patients

 

4. The foundation of great patient care is great clinicians, complex patients don’t just need one good doctor--they need care teams that work collaboratively

 

5. Burnout is a major issue for clinicians who treat complex patients, which health plans must also support

 

6. Successful care models require not only transparency and data sharing with all key stakeholders, but a commitment to measuring quality, access and the model’s financial health

 

7.Technology only goes so far, systems of care must have the capacity to manage complex patients

 

Source: AHIP