Your Family’s Guide to Value-Based Care (VBC)

When you bring a loved one to the doctor or hospital, you expect more than a bill—you want care that helps them live healthier, longer, and with dignity. That’s the idea behind Value-Based Care (VBC): instead of paying for each test, visit, or procedure (the fee-for-service model), care teams are rewarded for keeping people healthier through prevention and coordination. Think of VBC as measuring success by outcomes, not activity—with the goal of fewer crises, better day-to-day health, and proactive, whole-person care.

Value-Based Care vs. Traditional Fee-for-Service

Fee-for-service pays for each visit or test, so care can feel reactive and fragmented. Value-based care rewards outcomes and coordination, so families see more prevention, one shared plan across providers, attention to the whole person (not just today’s number), and fewer surprise bills from crisis care.

What Families Will Notice Under Value-Based Care

• Prevention over emergencies: Routine check-ins, timely labs, med reviews, and simple at-home supports catch issues early—less “crisis mode.”
• Real coordination: Primary care, cardiology, rheumatology, PT/OT, and pharmacy work from a shared plan—you’re not the go-between.
• Whole-person focus: Sleep, activity, nutrition, mood, and safety/fall risk are part of the plan; chronic pain and mental health are addressed together, with family connection encouraged.
• Lower stress (and potentially lower costs): Fewer duplicate tests and readmissions → fewer surprises and less caregiver burnout.

The Challenges of Adoption (why families still feel like the point person)

Many clinics are mid-transition from fee-for-service to value-based care. Metrics, workflows, data-sharing, and staffing are still being built, so progress can feel uneven. In this in-between phase, families often remain the de facto care coordinators—bridging gaps between specialists and follow-ups.

What you may notice during the switch

• New processes with the same doctors (nurse check-ins, care plans, follow-up calls) alongside habits that haven’t fully changed yet.
• More portals/consents and requests for home readings (BP, symptoms, sleep).
• Coordination improves but isn’t perfect; you may still repeat information
• Visits emphasize quality measures (falls, readmissions, BP control, med lists, mood screens).
• More telehealth/triage, with possible backlogs as staffing ramps.
• Billing evolves: fewer crisis bills over time, but some visit-based charges remain during transition.

✅ Green Flags

• A named lead (PCP or nurse) owns the plan and gives a next follow-up date.
• Medication review after every change or hospital/ER visit.
• Post-discharge call within 48 hours; follow-up within 7 days.
• Fall-risk screening plus a concrete plan (PT/OT, balance work, home safety).
• Family included (HIPAA on file, clear contact path, shared dashboard if used).

⚠️Yellow Flags

• “Call us if something happens” (no proactive check-ins).
• No single person owns the plan.
• Specialists don’t see each other’s updates.
• Slow portal replies; no after-hours triage.

How Livindi Brings Value-Based Care Home

• Vital signs & sleep tracking: A smartwatch and bed sensor monitor heart rate, SpO₂, respiration, temperature, and sleep—spotting early changes so the care team can act sooner.
• AI insights, fall detection & fast help: Sensors learn daily routines and flag unusual patterns (nighttime wandering, slowed mornings); fall detection, a wearable call button, and voice-activated help enable rapid response.
• One shared dashboard (Helper Portal): Families and clinicians see the same alerts, trends, notes, and notifications—with secure messaging and one-tap video—turning home data into coordinated action.
• Remote monitoring & caregiver visibility: Real-time updates reduce worry and support timely tweaks to meds, PT, and daily routines.
• Behavioral health & family connection: Virtual therapy supports coping with chronic pain and stress; easy video calls/messages keep loved ones connected—key for mood, adherence, and resilience.

One Month, Three Care Models

93% of adults 65+ have at least one chronic condition, and 79% have two or more. This table follows one month of care for “Mary,” 72 (hypertension, high cholesterol, arthritis with chronic pain). What changes her month isn’t just the medications—it’s how well her doctors work together and whether anyone can see what’s happening between visits. The table compares the same month under three models—traditional fee-for-service, value-based care without home tech, and value-based care with Livindi—using the same care areas so you can see how plan, prevention, safety, mood, family involvement, and results differ. Click here to download the chart.

Bottom line: Value-based care shifts from visit-by-visit treatment to coordinated, outcome-focused care. Livindi makes the between-visit time visible and actionable, turning small daily signals into timely outreach, safer mobility, steadier mood—and fewer crises for everyone.

A Simple Way To Gauge Fit—Ask About Medicare & Goals

No matter where your clinic is on the spectrum (traditional fee-for-service or shifting to value-based care), one friendly question tells you a lot about how they’re organized:

“How do you work with Medicare—and what outcomes are you focused on this year?”

That opens the door to plain-English answers like

• Medicare Advantage (MA): “We contract with MA plans that pay for results.”
• Accountable Care Organization (ACO, Original Medicare): “We’re in an ACO, so we’re accountable for quality and total cost.”
• Risk-sharing: “We can earn a bonus if we keep people healthier (upside-only), or we share savings and losses (two-sided). Sometimes we’re paid a set monthly budget per patient (capitation).”

Good Answers Sound Like:

• Clear goals (BP control, fewer falls/readmissions)
• A named point person and next check-in
• Medication reviews after changes/ER
• Defined between-visit triggers (e.g., several high morning BPs, a fall, rough sleep)
• A post-discharge plan (call within 48 hours; visit within 7 days). Even FFS clinics can outline a solid coordination routine so you’re not carrying the whole load.

Whether your clinic is still Fee-for-Service or moving into Value-Based Care, the ground may feel like it’s shifting—but your approach can be steady. Ask who owns the plan and when you’ll hear from them next; clarify how specialists share updates; agree on the triggers that prompt outreach between visits; and confirm what happens after an ER or hospital stay. Bring a short priorities list and your home readings, and leave each visit with a name, a timeline, and the next step. It’s okay to keep asking until the answers are clear. In a system facing real strain, these basics create stability—fewer crises, safer days at home, and a stronger sense that your family is seen, included, and supported.

Download our free checklists to help you guide conversations—whether you’re staying with your current clinic or interviewing a new one.

10 Questions to Ask When Your Clinic Adopts Value-Based Care (VBC)

11 Questions for Families Interviewing a Prospective Value-Based Care (VBC) Clinic