Spectrum Health enters partnership to drive value in health care

Spectrum Health enters partnership to drive value in health care
Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital. Credit: Corewell Health

Spectrum Health and Medtronic plc entered an agreement with the goal of improving outcomes for Spectrum Health patients while reducing the cost of care.

The two organizations will explore the creation of value-based health care programs to support the adoption and appropriate use of medical technologies and therapies at Spectrum Health.

Spectrum and Medtronic will use data and near real-time analytics to design programs intended to help standardize care, reduce clinical variation and deliver greater personalization of care by applying the right medical technologies and therapies to patients who may benefit most.

“The agreement with Medtronic aligns with Spectrum Health’s vision of personalized health made simple, affordable and exceptional,” said Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, M.D., president of Spectrum Health West Michigan. “Now, more than ever, in an era when health systems are dealing with the impact of COVID-19, prioritizing value-based health care enables us to optimize where care is provided, create cost efficiencies and drive variability out of operations to bring the highest quality care to our patients at the lowest cost.”

The first program will be designed around cardiac resynchronization therapy for patients with heart failure and electrical dyssynchrony — a condition that can cause the lower chambers of the heart to beat out of sync, forcing the heart to work harder.

Spectrum Health will work with Medtronic on a program designed to automate the identification of readmission events in patients who receive a Medtronic Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy device with the AdaptivCRT algorithm under an existing financial accountability program.

The AdaptivCRT algorithm adjusts therapy according to minute-by-minute evaluations of a patient’s heart rhythm and has been shown to reduce the likelihood of 30-day heart failure hospital readmissions, reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation and improve patient survival.

“Partnering with Spectrum Health strengthens our collective commitment to improving patient lives through a value-based health care approach,” said Dr. John Liddicoat, M.D., executive vice president and president of the Americas Region at Medtronic. “COVID-19 has shed a light on the importance of working together efficiently, and we’ve never had a stronger opportunity to collaborate with our customers as they seek innovative business models that deliver value.”

Spectrum Health will evaluate how medical device technology is used within a care pathway to understand the value created. Programs will have clearly defined metrics to help achieve the goal of improving patient outcomes while reducing the cost of care.

“Spectrum Health is focused on driving value for patients. This collaboration is intended to ensure Medtronic technologies and Spectrum Health’s care deliver superior outcomes and reduce the total cost of care for patients in West Michigan,” said Bill Selles, senior director of procurement, Spectrum Health. “Medtronic’s position as a strategic partner in this work supports our vision of personalized health made simple, affordable and exceptional.”