What Have We Learned About Health Care Economics?
Economic news dominates the headlines these days. But what do we really know about the economics of health care? We review what we've learned about health care economics from recent guests.
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About The Guests
Sanjula Jain is a health economist and strategic advisor working with C-suite and senior executive leadership teams of health care organizations—including the nation’s largest health systems and health plans, Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and medical device companies and digital health companies—to leverage data-driven insights to accelerate organizational growth. She is the Senior Vice President of Market Strategy and Chief Research Officer at Trilliant Health, an organization that combines health care industry expertise, market research and predictive analytics to develop evidence-based strategy.
Brittany Cunningham is the founder and resident expert on value-based care programs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) that Tennessee employers use to provide better care at lower costs.
She is an expert on how physician-led bundles differ from other options in the market, and what employers and patients should expect from alternative health care models, including direct-to-employer contracts and value-based bundled care.
Tiffany Inglis, MD, has more than 20 years of experience as an OB/GYN practicing in Ohio. She is National Medical Director for Women and Children’s Health at Carelon Health. Dr. Inglis earned her MD from the Medical College of Ohio and her BS in Zoology/Animal Biology at Ohio State University.
Episode Description
In this special edition of Quality Matters, we explore what three powerful conversations have taught us about one of health care’s most pressing and perplexing questions: What do we know about the economics of care in America, and how can we make substantial, sustainable improvements? We look back at previous episodes of Quality Matters to reflect.
We begin with health economist Sanjula Jain, who challenges conventional thinking around value-based care and urges a shift toward a more intuitive concept: “value for money.” With real-world examples (think hotels and Costco), she explains why the US health economy needs stability, and what it would take to rebuild trust and deliver real value to patients.
Next, Brittany Cunningham, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, shares how My Health Bundles help employers rein in costs while improving patient experience and provider satisfaction. Her team’s approach flips the traditional payment model on its head—designing care first and payment second.
And obstetrician Tiffany Inglis, of Elevance Health, takes us inside a groundbreaking program that pairs OB/GYNs with dedicated practice consultants. The result? Dramatic improvement in maternal health outcomes that could affect a staggering 12% of the nation’s births.
Each voice in this episode offers fresh, actionable insight. Together, they offer a roadmap toward a more sustainable—and humane—health care economy.
Value-based payment, it’s different because value-based payment is ultimately a reimbursement scheme that doesn’t change the total cost of care.
Value-based payment is really a policy scheme focused on the provider level, which doesn’t even affect the patient or consumer. It’s one pool of dollars that is being reallocated. Providers are just reallocating those dollars and actually reducing the total cost of care. Who is benefiting doesn’t actually translate down to the patient or the consumer.
Timestamps
(00:25) The Macroeconomics of Health Care
(8:40) Value-Based Care in Action With Health Bundles
(14:30) The Economics of Prenatal Care