Three Things I Wish I Knew: Vernon Mathias and Shannon O'Neal

Leaders in digital health solutions underscore the role value-based care plays in preventive care

Advice the chief growth officer and the business solutions director of HabitNu, a diabetes prevention platform, would have taken if they could turn back time.

Looking back, [we] can’t help but realize that implementing even a basic version of value-based care years ago could have paid dividends in preventing patient disease and easing the sustained burden on patients and healthcare workers.

During early implementation, providers and administrators were reluctant to adopt the value-based care model because they believed it would be an administrative burden that only benefited the corporation while reducing a provider's quality time spent with the patient. Instead, value-based care helped improve meaningful care quality and outcomes. [It] has encouraged us to develop personalized patient programs that address each person’s unique risk factors, lifestyles, and access; allowing us to deliver targeted prevention and proven outcomes proactively.

Working in value-based care programs, the challenge was encouraging provider participation. If [we] were able to go back in time, [we] would identify local preventive programs, gather resources, print materials and [inform] providers, staff and patients [so they can] take advantage of these life-changing programs before patients get diagnosed and end up in the hospital. Showing the providers patient outcomes data, best practice workflows for efficiency and improved net promoter score (NPS) provided compelling evidence providers required to get on board. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has an extensive library of resources that allows health and wellness professionals to identify relevant, impactful initiatives that deliver measurable results to patients, clinicians and organizations.

The most rewarding aspect of participating in value-based care, diabetes and obesity prevention in this case is knowing the work we do today will have a profound, sustainable impact on so many lives.

What is your role in the CMS model?

HabitNu provides evidence-based programs that help prevent type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders linked to obesity and chronic disease. Our approach is built around personalized, coach-led lifestyle change programs.

How long have you been participating in value-based care? What was your first experience?

HabitNu has offered diabetes prevention programs as a part of the value-based care model since 2016. We started with a couple lifestyle coaches making a big impact with sustainable results on pre-diabetic patients. We quickly grew from there and became Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized a year later.

What was your initial interest or reason for practicing value-based care?

[We] have seen decades of reactive healthcare - seeing patients when something is wrong. Value-based care really resonates with [us] because the focus is on prevention and empowering patients through education and simple tools to manage their health and stay out of the [Emergency Department].

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