Creating a framework for change: transitioning to value-based healthcare in Queensland

Belinda Gavaghan; Jennifer Finch; Katelyn Clarke

doi:10.1071/AH24001

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Creating a framework for change: transitioning to value-based healthcare in Queensland

Belinda Gavaghan ^A ^* , Jennifer Finch ^A and Katelyn Clarke ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Queensland Health, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: Allied_Health_Advisory@health.qld.gov.au

Australian Health Review 48(2) 123-128 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH24001

Submitted: 2 January 2024 Accepted: 4 March 2024 Published: 25 March 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).

Abstract

Value-based healthcare has been described as the sustainable, equitable and transparent use of healthcare resources to achieve improved experiences and outcomes for people and communities. It is supported by all levels of government in Australia, with recent initiatives championing a shift away from traditional, clinician-centric care delivery to a more contemporary, value-based approach. To date, however, efforts in Queensland have focused on smaller scale siloed models of care and have not extended to the transformational change required to create equitable and sustainable healthcare delivery. The Queensland Health Allied Health Framework for Value-Based Health Care (the Framework) builds on contemporary frameworks with reference to the local context in Queensland and provides a structure and starting point for clinicians and managers to work together with consumers to transform services to focus on preventative health and wellbeing, shifting the focus of care to the community and sustainably improving the quality of care delivered. The Framework outlines key considerations for the design and implementation of new services, including understanding the care pathway, supporting an outcome driven workplace culture, measuring what matters and designing for outcomes. Several key lessons were learnt during the development of the Framework, including the importance of early and sustained consumer partnerships, of establishing a shared definition of value-based healthcare that enables integration across the care pathway and the need for leadership at all levels to actively support the change management process. While developed for Queensland public allied health services, the Framework is intended to be a system-wide tool relevant to all health professionals and services.

Keywords: allied health services, consumer engagement, health service innovation, value‐based healthcare.

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