Background

The United States spends more on healthcare than other industrialized countries but sees limited returns on that investment, often ranking lower in quality compared to nations with lower spending. To address this cost-quality gap, value-based care (VBC) has emerged as a payment model that rewards the quality of care rather than the quantity, aiming to improve patient outcomes while managing healthcare costs more effectively. Their success is inherent in a shift in how healthcare is delivered— from siloed to integrated care; and how healthcare is financed— from fee-for-service to alternative payment arrangements resulting in lower healthcare costs. By aligning the interests of patients, providers, and payers, value-based care can promote a more sustainable and effective healthcare system. Yet, research suggests a gap in both the education of health professions students and the knowledge of healthcare workers regarding value-based care, highlighting the need for a shared, collaborative framework for training.

Recognizing this gap, the Humana Institute, in partnership with Humana, developed a 12-week, open online VBC course with 6 modules, available to students, faculty and healthcare professionals.

Study Objectives

1.  Assess the impact of the Value-Based Care Specialization course on program participants’ attitudes and likelihood of practicing VBC.
2. Assess national trends in performance and payment adjustments under the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program.
3. Examine how healthcare consolidation aligns with the principles of value-based care and identify the conditions under which it enhances or hinders value creation.

Project Timeline

• Started in 2024 following Health Policy Conference
• Ongoing Data Analysis of VBC course data (to date, over 25,000 learners)

Scholarly Works:

• Janda, K., King, B., Adepoju, O., Chavez, S., Bejarano, G., Braun, R. T., Ho, V., & Liaw, W. (2025). Consolidation in an Era of Population Health and Value-Based Care: Implications for Effectiveness, Costs, and Equity. Medical care, 63(4), 267–269. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000002119
• Adepoju, O. E., Xu, T., Rollins, A., Gronseth, S., ElChoufi, M., Obanua, F., & McNeil, S. (2025). Factors Influencing Learners' Knowledge and Implementation of Value-Based Care Concepts Postcourse Certification. Population health management, 28(5), 243–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427891251365940
• Exploring the future of value-based care in health profession education through the development of a collaborative framework
  Lauren R. Gilbert, PhD, MPH, Omolola E. Adepoju, PhD, MPH, Mary Tipton, MPH, LeChauncy Woodard, MD, MPH