Annual Healthcare Trends Survey: ACA Anxieties Aside, Majority Well Positioned for Value-Based Reimbursement in 2017

Sea Girt, NJ, December 14, 2016 --(PR.com)-- The healthcare industry's shift to rewarding quality of care over volume of services delivered has positively impacted business operations in the last twelve months, say 91 percent of respondents to the Healthcare Intelligence Network's annual Trends and Forecasts survey.

In the healthcare publisher's thirteenth annual business assessment, 69 percent of respondents consider themselves well positioned to succeed under value-based reimbursement models. Additionally, 60 percent report that 2016 was a better year business-wise than 2015.

However, preoccupation with new models of care delivery and payment did not eliminate worry over the post-election fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which President-elect Trump has vowed to repeal or replace. At least 10 percent referenced either the election, ACA uncertainty or the incoming presidential administration when identifying the greatest business challenges they expected to face in 2017.

Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, "Healthcare Trends for 2017: ACA Anxieties Aside, Majority Well-Positioned for Value-Based Reimbursement," at
http://www.hin.com/library/registerHealthcareTrends2017.html

Value-based reimbursement also topped the list of lucrative business development areas for 18 percent of respondents, HIN's industry survey found, followed by chronic care management (14 percent), integration of behavioral healthcare and primary care (11 percent), and telehealth (11 percent).

Community partnerships, training for integrated care and value-based payments, and participation in CMS Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) were among the most successful business decisions of 2016, respondents reported. However, many cited lack of preparation for bundled payments and care delivery transformation, lack of communication, and lack of focus on quality as regrettable 2016 business decisions.

The annual Healthcare Trends & Forecasts survey, administered in November 2016 by the Healthcare Intelligence Network, captured year-end feedback from more than 100 healthcare organizations.

Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, "Healthcare Trends for 2017: ACA Anxieties Aside, Majority Well-Positioned for Value-Based Reimbursement," at
http://www.hin.com/library/registerHealthcareTrends2017.html

News Facts: HIN's white paper, Healthcare Trends for 2017: ACA Anxieties Aside, Majority Well-Positioned for Value-Based Reimbursement, summarizes November 2016 responses from more than 100 hospitals, health plans, physician organizations, long-term care providers and others, pinning down the trends impacting the industry in the year to come.

This 2017 roadmap for healthcare also identified the following metrics:

- Respondents' pace of MACRA participation for 2017:

- Eight percent will test MACRA's Quality Payment Program by submitting partial data in 2017 without fear of negative payment adjustments;

- Six percent will participate for part of the calendar year;

- Nine percent said they would participate for the full calendar year; and

- Nine percent said they would participate in an Advanced Alternative Payment (APM) model in 2017.

- Growth, hiring and recruitment, and sales and services were the three business areas most impacted by the 2016 economic climate.

- Healthcare wearables, palliative care and health insurance exchanges had the least impact on respondents' 2016 business operations.

Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, "Healthcare Trends for 2017: ACA Anxieties Aside, Majority Well-Positioned for Value-Based Reimbursement," at
http://www.hin.com/library/registerHealthcareTrends2017.html

"Even though numerous thought leaders feel strongly that the ACA cannot easily be undone, an undercurrent of uncertainty still permeates the industry. In terms of interventions, the safest bets appear to be those that will reward providers in areas of quality and clinical excellence while reducing utilization and cost, especially in the Medicare arena."
- Melanie Matthews, HIN Executive VP and COO

Please contact Patricia Donovan to arrange an interview or to obtain additional quotes. For Melanie Matthews' profile, please visit http://www.hin.com/bios.html#mm

About the Healthcare Intelligence Network - HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 449-4463, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.