High-Value Equitable Care Research Agenda
In 2022, the Foundation awarded a 30-month award to AcademyHealth to facilitate their development of a research agenda that will support higher-value and equitable health care. As health care costs continue to rise and health disparities persist, the need to redesign our health care system to deliver better, more equitable care is paramount — and to do so we must have a strong evidence base grounded in the needs of our communities that will inform this work.
Using a collaborative approach, this project:
- Framed and defined high-value, equitable care
- Generated a research agenda aimed at improving healthcare value and equity
- Disseminated and gained traction for the research agenda
- Fostered a thriving and inclusive Research Community focused on high-value, equitable care
Project Overview
The High-Value Equitable Care (HVEC) project was a comprehensive initiative to reshape and promote an efficacious and equitable healthcare system. Defined as care meeting the varied needs of individuals in a manner that is timely, accessible, respectful, collaborative, culturally responsive, and non-discriminatory, the project aimed to optimize health outcomes and ensure affordability.
Centered around five primary drivers, the project sought to establish a culture of whole-person health, enhance accessibility, prioritize primary care, develop adequate health system capacity, and ensure accountability for health outcomes. These drivers were underpinned by secondary measures, including efforts to combat structural racism, cater to diverse patient needs, innovate in caregiving, harness health information technology, and use data to enhance equity and value in healthcare delivery.
Plans for Integration
The insights from the High-Value Equitable Care (HVEC) project will be used in refining elements of our Greater Value Portfolio (GVP) grant program. Beginning with "value" in healthcare, the project's comprehensive definition emphasizes timely, accessible, and culturally sensitive care. As a result, the Foundation is engaging with our thought partners on how we consider value and furthermore how value is characterized within the scope and spirit of our GVP grant program.
Rather than viewing 'value' as a broad, theoretical concept, the Foundation's focus is on exploring 'value' as a concrete, measurable factor in healthcare, to be identified and enhanced through practical solutions. This includes developing and testing methods, tools, and models that organizations can use to improve healthcare delivery in terms of cost-effectiveness, quality, and equity. The goal is to move away from abstract discussions of value and instead emphasize practical research that can lead to actionable insights and real-world improvements in healthcare services.
The GVP grant program seeks solutions to the symptoms of low-value care such as high costs, disparities, and inconsistent quality, aiming to implement changes that yield high-value care, where the benefits to patients and the community are maximized relative to the resources expended.
Additional Resources
Webinar
AcademyHealth Recently Hosted a webinar for researchers, health system leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, patients, community leaders, and anyone passionate about advancing optimal healthcare outcomes for all through research and innovation. The goal of the webinar was to deepen attendee's understanding of high-value, equitable care and its crucial role in the historical healthcare landscape, engage in identifying and prioritizing research topics to meet the evolving needs and challenges within healthcare and pinpoint essential research areas required to inform the development of a healthcare system that is both equitable and delivers high value.
Summary Brief
AcademyHealth's approach to fostering high-value equitable care involved creating a guiding framework, identifying existing frameworks, reviewing the literature, and collaborating with stakeholders to determine a list of prioritized research questions. In March 2022, a group of diverse stakeholders defined high-value equitable care and its key drivers, identifying five primary drivers to enhance whole-person health, access, primary care focus, health system capacity, and outcome accountability, alongside relevant secondary drivers.
The research agenda, set in June 2023, was developed around these drivers and further informed by foundational healthcare literature and contributions from leading institutions. This resulted in a comprehensive list of research questions, with the top five for each driver included in the final agenda. The collaborative efforts behind this agenda considered the nuances of language, system expectations, and accountability to shape a research direction that informs health system decision-makers and external stakeholders. The aim is to unify diverse healthcare aspects to promote overall health, with plans for widespread dissemination to key healthcare and policy communities.