While value has become an imperative in both training and health care delivery, few tools exist to teach hospitalists and other providers the basic concepts of value.
“Hospitalists are on the front lines of health care value delivery, and it is critical that we understand and embrace the concepts of value; however, we also need to be able to deliver upon these ideals,” said Christopher Moriates, MD, assistant dean for health care value at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Christopher Moriates
Dr. Moriates developed a free online core curriculum called “Discovering Value-Based Health Care.” “We built ‘Discovering Value-Based Health Care’ to serve as an adaptive learning resource for clinicians at all levels – from medical school through practicing physicians,” he said. The first module, “There’s a Better Way,” is available now.
“As a hospitalist, I ensured that the content would be specifically applicable to our day-to-day world and experience,” Dr. Moriates said. “Using the modules, hospitalists can better understand how emerging tools, such as the University of Utah’s Value-Drive Outcome tool, can be used by hospitalists to improve value. The modules also dig into thorny subjects like understanding health care costs – for example, what really is the difference between costs and charges?”
The course is adaptive and interactive, using the latest in instructional technology, he said. Hospitalists can take the course independently and earn free CME credits; those who complete all three modules in this first collection will receive a certificate of completion and CME credit.
The goal is to release 10 modules over the course of this academic year, Dr. Moriates said. Future collections will cover “value-based health care delivery,” “how to deliver high-value care at the bedside,” and “how to deliver high-value care in systems.”
“As value-based health care is increasingly taught in medical schools and residency training, it is important for hospitalists – especially any of us that work with trainees – to be able to speak the same language and understand what our trainees now will know,” he said.