Optum is rolling out a new AI tool that aims to address some of the key barriers to value-based care, from data fragmentation to administrative burden.
The company said in an announcement on Wednesday that the Value Connect platform supports both payers and providers in value-based care work, leaning on artificial intelligence to surface ways to improve and identify areas where programs are underperforming. The tool can also identify and quickly facilitate interventions that improve outcomes, either directly or embedded within other platforms, Optum said.
The goal of Value Connect, per the company, is to make it easier for payers and providers to collaborate as well as improve the performance of value-based care programs.
“We’re accelerating the shift to value-based care by meeting payers and providers where they are in their journey,” said Beth Merle, senior vice president of provider enablement at Optum Insight, in the announcement. “The solution empowers organizations to proactively manage risk and costs while improving outcomes for the people they serve.”
The platform is designed to integrate directly into existing workflows, eliminating the need for external spreadsheets and smoothing out communication. This allows teams to act more quickly and track progress more effectively, while making it clear who owns certain tasks.
In the payer workflow, Value Connect generates population health alerts and warns about potential risks or gaps in care. It can then prompt solutions to close those gaps at the point of care, according to the announcement.
On the provider end, the platform highlights risks that can then be incorporated in the care plan, as well as follow-up action items that providers can use.
Among Optum clients who are already using the Value Connect platform, they're averaging a 29% decrease in visits to the emergency department and a 28% reduction in avoidable hospital admissions. They also saw a 35% decline in medical spending and 17% decrease in pharmacy costs, as well as a 20% increase in care gap closure, according to the announcement.
Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California is an early adopter of the platform and CEO Rod Hanners said that Value Connect is supporting the drive toward better outcomes.
“Our hope is that the collaboration with Optum will help us to accelerate the shift to value-based care,” he said in the announcement.