Value-based care is a delivery model for healthcare in which providers are rewarded based on patient health outcomes rather than on a fee-for-service basis. In a fee-for-service model, providers get paid for the number of patients they see and the number of healthcare services provided. On the other hand, value-based care agreements reward providers for helping patients improve their health and reduce the effects of chronic illness in an evidence-based manner. The “value” in value-based care is measured by comparing health outcomes against the cost of delivering those outcomes.
Marathon Health, as well as other employer-sponsored healthcare providers, operate a value-based care model. In contrast, more traditional healthcare providers like hospital systems and primary/specialty care networks operate a fee-for-service model.