Primary care is the keystone of value-based care, but what does that mean?
Picture an arch.
At the top, there’s the keystone, the central stone that locks all the other stones together. Without it, the arch would simply collapse. Imagine the blocks forming the arch representing other components of the healthcare ecosystem.
There are a few building blocks to this structure. The keystone bears the initial load, and that load is big. It is big in the day-to-day sense, with everything that goes into taking care of patients. It’s just as big in a larger sense, like keeping practices thriving and all that goes along with it. The keystone, by design, helps distribute that load across the arch.
This design creates stability and durability. Primary care practices — and those who serve within them — are essential to the stability and durability of the health and welfare of its communities. Anyone who works in healthcare knows this, because they live it every day. Tandigm knows this too—and it is the core of our mission.
But the goal can’t just be to bear a load. The arch as a structure has another important purpose by design. It creates more space—efficiently and effectively.
Think of this space as healthcare value, value for patients and practices. This space is dependent on the keystone, and so is measurable value dependent on primary care.
So where does Tandigm come in as value-based care partner?
Our core focus is to help our primary care partners, the keystone, “fit” better in the arch of a value-based care world. If the keystone is not well-positioned, then the space, the value, is not created; the stability and durability of high-value care is threatened.
Our work is focused on insuring that primary care practices, the keystone, “fits”—so we can help them bear and distribute the load with financial support, aligned incentives, clinical support, insights into where our shared efforts might be best targeted, and tools to facilitate that.
Tandigm works with practices and on their behalf. We help to position the other blocks in the arch — hospitals and ERs, SNFs, targeted specialties, and of course payors — to distribute the load and effort it takes to provide high-value care.
Our number one goal is to get primary care practices into the best position possible. This means a continued commitment to reward quality over quantity.
In short, Tandigm is committed to shaping a system that doesn’t just withstand pressure but creates enduring value.
Kevin Fosnocht, MD
Chief Medical Officer