The Future of Value-Based Care with Advocate Health and PointClickCare

Summary

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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode: The Future of Value-Based Care with Advocate Health and PointClickCare
Date: August 21, 2025
Guests: Robin Roberts (Director, Health IT Regulatory Affairs, PointClickCare)
Dr. Jennifer Brady (Chief Medical Officer, Enterprise Population Health, Advocate Health)
Host: Lucas Voss

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Overview

This episode explores the dynamic future of value-based care (VBC) in the U.S. healthcare system. Host Lucas Voss leads a discussion with Dr. Jennifer Brady of Advocate Health and Robin Roberts of PointClickCare, unpacking the evolving definitions, current strategies, policy implications, and practical technologies that are shaping the VBC landscape. Key themes include care coordination, the increasing importance of data-driven strategies, the growing integration of technology, and predictions for regulatory shifts ahead.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Value-Based Care (VBC)

• Shifting Focus:
  Dr. Brady defines VBC as a movement from “paying for volumes to paying for outcomes.” The focus is on prevention, care coordination, and effective chronic disease management, rather than transactional care.
  • “Value based care at its core is about transforming how we pay for and deliver healthcare... focusing on keeping people healthy through prevention, care coordination and effective management of chronic conditions.” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (03:06)
• Why It Matters:
  U.S. spending outpaces global peers, yet outcomes lag. Escalating costs and complex patient needs demand sustainable and truly patient-centered solutions.

2. Policy & Regulatory Environment

• Bipartisan Momentum:
  Robin Roberts highlights VBC’s bipartisan support, spanning Medicare, Medicaid, and MA plans.
  • “VBC is really bipartisan. From Medicare to Medicaid, the MA plans, it's incredibly prevalent.” — Robin Roberts (05:00)
• Building Resilience:
  Long-term strategies must leverage data-driven systems and intentional workflows that foster both efficiency and meaningful, proactive patient engagement.

3. Data and Technology as Enablers

• Integrated Data:
  Dr. Brady details the power of merging clinical and claims data, leading to actionable insights and the ability to anticipate and intervene at “impactable moments.”
  • Example: Targeting care transitions from acute settings to home using electronic engagement and rapid triage.
  • “Now we're able to leverage technology... asking them questions, and then if we identify a need, our care manager connects with them within two hours of getting that ping.” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (07:42)
• Proactive Outreach:
  Roberts notes that technology must transition care teams from “dialing for dollars” to directed, intentional outreach with clear objectives.
  • “Cost is accrued when the patient is not following up... That's no longer an excuse. Having the systems and tools to succeed in VBC and knowing who to touch during the day, how do we stratify that population?” — Robin Roberts (08:55)

4. Emerging Trends & The Road Ahead

• Expanding Beyond Primary Care:
  The traditional primary care-centric model is evolving; specialists play a growing role in risk-based contracts and bundled payment models.
  • “New models are really trying to engage specialists in addition to primary care providers. And one way... is through bundles.” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (11:18)
• Pace of Change:
  Expect continued rollout—and rapid testing—of new models. CMS aims for 100% of beneficiaries in VBC arrangements by 2030, and commercial payers tend to follow their lead.
  • “VBC is not going away... The pace at which these models come out or get thrown away if they don't work is going to just, you know, go up.” — Robin Roberts (12:40)

5. Keys to Success

• Ease for Care Teams:
  Solutions must make clinicians’ work easier, not harder. Value for patients, providers, and the health system must be clear.

  • “It can't be additional work that you ask them to do... Will it bring value to the providers?” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (14:04)
  • Example: Giving ED physicians instant access to skilled nursing home patient data increased efficiency and was quickly embraced.

• Continuous Process:
  Roberts closes emphasizing that VBC is “a process, not an event”—long-term, iterative, and evolving.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Future of VBC:
  • “CMS has the goal of having 100% of their beneficiaries in a value based arrangement by 2030.” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (11:18)
• On Technology and Data:
  • “Having the technology to tell you what's going on with that individual at any given point in time is just a critical driver to VBC success.” — Robin Roberts (09:54)
• On Success Factors:
  • “Make sure you answer the questions. Am I making it more difficult on the provider or am I making it easier?” — Dr. Jennifer Brady (15:04)
• On the Nature of VBC:
  • “VBC is a process, not an event.” — Robin Roberts (15:21)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:42] Introductions & Backgrounds
• [03:06] What Does Value-Based Care Mean?
• [05:00] Building Resilient Strategies in A Changing Regulatory Landscape
• [06:21] Creating and Leveraging “Impactable Moments”
• [08:55] Strategic Capabilities and Data’s Role in VBC
• [11:18] Anticipated Shifts: Regulatory and Clinical Trends
• [14:04] Making VBC Easier for Care Teams — Practical Examples
• [15:21] Final Thoughts: VBC as an Ongoing Process

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Summary

This episode offers a concise yet deep exploration of value-based care in 2025, spotlighting the drivers, challenges, and opportunities ahead. Both guests provide practical examples and high-level insights into policy, technology, and operational strategies. The discussion underscores that success in value-based care hinges on actionable data, the integration of intelligent technology, and above all, making it easier—not harder—for clinicians to care for complex patients. The consensus: VBC is only gaining momentum, and preparation today is essential for success in tomorrow’s healthcare landscape.

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Transcript

[A]

Hi everyone, this is Lucas Voss with Becker's Healthcare. Thanks so much for tuning in to the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. It's fantastic to have you. A very interesting topic today, the future of value based care in a new era. And joining me for today's discussion, very excited to have them, Robin Roberts, director of health IT regulatory affairs at Point Click Care. And Dr. Jennifer Brady, chief Medical Officer, Enterprise Population Health at advocate health. Robyn. Dr. Brady, thanks so much for being here today. It's great to have you.

[B]

Thank you for having us.

[A]

Well, I think we have to start with introductions here for our audience. Dr. Brady, why don't you start us off? Could you just introduce yourselves and then share a bit about your work in healthcare?

[B]

Yes, absolutely. So I am an internal medicine physician. I'm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. You already heard my title at Advocate Health. Advocate has been on the forefront of value based care. We deal a lot in risk contracts. We manage 2.4 million lives. We have 13 ACOs and CIS and more than 127 value based contracts. My responsibility is really over all of the clinical programming around value based care. And ultimately I'm accountable for the performance in our value based contracts.

[A]

Dr. Brady, so great to have you. Thank you so much. Robin, over to you.

[C]

Thanks Lucas. In Point click here. My current role is really advising on everything from AI legislation and policy to helping with our certified EHR systems, things like data segmentation, standards for data and regulatory strategies. As I'm sure the audience might be familiar. Point Click Care. While largely an EHR platform in the long term, care in post acute space also provides solution for other areas of the healthcare ecosystem, including payers, ACOs. And so we are also very passionate about where technology meets these types of payment arrangements. And so my background really spans regulatory strategy, policy creation across the healthcare ecosystem. So everything from developing AI driven solutions to revenue cycle management operations. I really feel like a Swiss army knife. But moreover, I really thrive on connecting policy with practice in the real world.

[A]

Robin, so great to have you. And again, it's fantastic to have a Swiss army knife because it's going to help answer my questions today, which is fantastic. If I had to choose another buzzword between AI and value based care, it would be value based care. Everybody's talking about it across the industry, but the meaning can really vary depending on who you're talking about. Right? So I'd love to know from your perspective, what does value based care truly represent for you? And in general of course, and why is it such a critical focus in today's healthcare landscape. Dr. Brady, why don't we start with you?

[B]

Wonderful value based care at its core is about transforming how we pay for and deliver healthcare. It is shifting from paying for volumes to paying for outcomes. Instead of incentivizing more visits, tests, procedures, it really focuses on keeping people healthy through prevention, care coordination and effective management of chronic conditions. Why it matters the US spends more than any other nation and yet our population lags behind in terms of health outcomes as costs keep rising and patients are increasingly complex. We need to develop a healthcare system that is sustainable and really truly patient centered.

[A]

Yeah, Robyn, what does it look like from your perspective?

[C]

I couldn't agree with Dr. Brady more that sustainable affordability, where we're rewarding the quality and efficiency for how a patient is treated and doing things for them instead of doing things to them is obviously where we're headed. And I think it's really everyone said it's a paradigm shift in how people get paid. I think moreover than that what Dr. Brady is describing is really a shift in behavior economics for everyone across the healthcare ecosystem with the promise for real cost savings to patients, payers and the health system at large.

[A]

Yeah. And Robin, I'd love to draw on your expertise as the Swiss army knife here. As policy and regulatory expectations continue to evolve, particularly in federal leadership. We know this federal legislation. How can organizations build resilient long term strategies in this environment that can really be effective and create change?

[C]

Yeah, I think at the end of the day VBC is really bipartisan. From Medicare to Medicaid, the MA plans, it's incredibly prevalent. And I think the long term strategies should be based in data driven systems and toolings where we have intentional workflows. And I think that's going to create something that I'll let Dr. Brady kind of editorialize in a minute. She has this great saying about creating meaningful moments. And so I think if you have the data driven system, you have the intentional workflow where efficiency and meaningful moments of connection and care. The healthcare clinicians and employees have efficiency as a byproduct of all of that, which is going to lead to some VBC success. But I think that all starts with is for strategy, knowing your population and being honest about finding those objective high cost, low quality gaps or opportunities that are out there. If we want to say that, and having data driven systems and tools so that we can be proactive in doing those things, I think that is going to give you an agile and more resilient approach to VBC success.

[A]

Dr. Brady, let's talk about those moments, then I'd love to hear more about that.

[B]

Yes. So I think value based care is here to stay. And so no matter who is in the White House, I think if we really focus on the fundamentals of value based care, then that will drive success and we'll be able to flex as a healthcare system. So those meaningful moments, impactable moments, it really is identifying what the patient needs at the right time. And certainly technology is helping us be able to do that. So as Robin said, it is leveraging our data. So at its very core, we have to have a place that, where we bring data together. When I was on the payer side, I said if only we had clinical data, we could really manage the population. Now that I'm on the provider side, I had said if we had claims information. Well, now we sit in a position where we have everything coming together, claims and clinical data out of the EMRs, and then it's translating those, predicting what those impactable moments are and then putting those into practice. I can give you a few examples of where we've actually been able to do that. One moment when a patient is most impactable is as they're transitioning from an acute setting into home or post acute. And so we have really focused on that time frame and developed a care transitions plan. In the old days, the only way we could do that is to have care managers reaching out to patients. Now we're able to leverage technology where we're able to send out questions and engage patients electronically. It's allowed us to be able to also connect with who we consider mild and moderate risk patients, not just the high risk patients. And so instead of having our care manager spend a lot of time dialing patients that they're not going to pick up anyway, we're essentially triaging them, asking them questions, and then if we identify a need, our care manager connects with them within two hours of getting that ping.

[A]

Yeah, those are some great examples. Robin, I'd love to come to you on this as well from a strategic perspective. Again, you've mentioned that the data piece, you started off with that. What are some of those capabilities or strategies that you're seeing that really tend to move the needle?

[C]

Yeah, I think when we're talking about vbc, that tech first approach is really there at its core. And Dr. Brady gave some great examples of that. I think what we're noticing more and more is what she was articulating is that VBC cost is not just measured during an encounter, during a procedure, or at those very tangible points. Within the healthcare system or with a given physician and a patient. But it's happening outside of your proverbial four walls. Cost is accrued when the patient is not following up, when things are not happening, the patient's discharged and no one knows where they went. They are quote unquote lost. A follow up. That's no longer an excuse. Having the systems and tools to succeed in VBC and knowing who to touch during the day, how do we stratify that population? If the care managers, the case managers are on the phone and we're just dialing for dollars or trying to do outreach to an inbox that is in the nebulous. We are getting nowhere. That individual, that care team member, that physician, whoever it is, that pharmacist, they need to know who to call, why they're calling them and what are we working on? What is the intention? Did we miss a refill? Do they need to go back to the hospital for a certain procedure? Is it better for them to go to a post acute stay versus a long term care center for something more functional? Having the technology to tell you what's going on with that individual at any given point in time is just a critical driver to VBC success. And that's what we see. We have customers coming to us looking for those solutions, providers and payers alike.

[A]

Yeah, it's really a key enabler for value based care more than anything. Which is so interesting and such an interesting, interesting topic to talk about itself. You both touched on earlier in our conversation on the evolving nature of all of this. Right. It never stands still. There's a ton of change happening. I'd love to know. Looking ahead, what are some of those shifts that you're anticipating in value based care over the next few years? What are you looking at? It can be regulatory, right? But also care delivery, clinical, etc. What are some of the things that you think are most important? Dr. Brady, we'll start with you.

[B]

Yeah, as I mentioned, I think value based care is here to stay. CMS has the goal of having 100% of their beneficiaries in a value based arrangement by 2030. What I see is additional growth in risk based models continuing to try to push risk to the providers. We've really focused in the past on primary care physicians and we think of them as the quarterbacks. But the majority of the cost is actually spent and driven by the specialist. And so new models are really trying to engage specialists in addition to primary care providers. And one way that you focus on specialists is through bundles I think we're going to continue to see mandatory programs, mandatory bundles being pushed out, such as the teams model. That's a new mandatory model. And then generally we see that commercial payers follow what CMS is doing. And so I already see the commercial payers wanting to contract with us on condition specific bundles and things that really engage our providers, our specialists and even more so.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. Robin, anything to add there?

[C]

Yeah, the shift to outcome and accountability is not going away and I echo all of the remarks that Dr. Brady just made. But I think we're going to have to do more with what we have. I think the pace at which these models come out or get thrown away if they don't work is going to just, you know, go up. People are trying things and if it's not working, it's not happening. If the VBC model is successful, they're seeing what they can do to scale it. The increase in mandatory models such as teams, no doubt they are going to find those inflection points for it. And I think this is again where having the right technology at your fingertips, whether that is AI for a clinician to use it in an augmented manner or someone to find the predictive nature to find that anticipatory, meaningful moment or impactful moment with that patient. And these are all things that can help us be successful as additional models. The pace of models goes up. But VBC is not going away. CMS is on target with that 2030 goal. It is here to stay.

[A]

Yeah, Robin and Dr. Brady, thank you so much. So many great insights. I want to turn the floor over to you. Is there anything else we didn't cover? Anything else that you'd like to mention that our audience might not know that it might be important that we didn't touch on? Any final thoughts? Dr. Brady, we'll start with you.

[B]

I think the key to success is making it easier for the care teams to do this work. It can't be additional work that you ask them to do. It really has to be a shift in the way that they're doing it and really focused on when I am putting something in place. Will it bring value to the providers? I wanted to bring value to the patients, but am I making it easier for the providers to do their work? And you know, we have point click care on the call here. And I've got a great example of the ed. Physicians have a very difficult time knowing what's going on with skilled nursing home patients. Coming back into the ed. I thought I was going to have some challenge and rolling out this asking them to take a look at some additional information as a patient comes back from the snf. But what it turns out is it's so helpful to them. It saves them time and so I think it's going to be a tremendous success. So with everything you do, make sure you answer the questions. Am I making it more difficult on the provider or am I making it easier?

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. Robin, over to you.

[C]

No, I would just end to say I love what Dr. Brady said. You know VBC is a process not an event and so I think her, her clothes there is just really appropriate.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely. Well again thank you so much Dr. Brady. Thank you Robin for being here and thank you for your time and insights. And we also want to thank our podcast sponsor Point Click Care. You can tune into more podcasts from Becker's Healthcare visiting our podcast [e-mail].