– Latest KLAS report examines nine firms that provide value-based care consulting services to explore the types of work these firms do (and for who), how consistently the firms perform across clients, the outcomes they deliver, and the factors that drive these outcomes.
– KLAS identifies Deloitte, Lumeris, Navigant, PwC, Optum, Premier, Chartis Group, Health Catalyst, and Milliman are named top performers excelling within different scopes of engagement and recommended by their clients.
Transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care (VBC) is a top-of-mind concern for healthcare organizations. However, previous KLAS research has revealed that VBC transformation is also the area in which healthcare executives are least familiar with which consulting and advisory services firms are well-positioned to help. The latest KLAS report, Value-Based Care Consulting 2019 examines nine consulting firms that provide value-based care consulting services to explore the types of work these firms do (and for who), how consistently the firms perform across clients, the outcomes they deliver, and the factors that drive these outcomes.
Value-Based Care Consulting: Finding The Best Fit In A High-Performing Market
Transformation Partners
KLAS named Deloitte, Lumeris, Navigant, and PwC as transformation partner leaders for their ability to lead some of the most complex VBC transformation projects (as defined by scope and potential impact) and as working with highly complex clients (as defined by organization size, contract risk profile, and percent of revenue derived from value-based reimbursement).
In terms of performance and complexity, Navigant stands out in a field of high performers. Navigant’s understanding of the market is described as both wide and deep, and the firm excels at business transformation and knowledge transfer. PwC, a firm with a similar complexity profile, stands out for having the most validated work in the payer market.
Lumeris clients reported the most variation with their engagements leading to a fork in the road, at which point organizations decide whether to engage the firm’s managed services.
Problem Solvers
Optum and Premier were identified as key consulting firms for value-based care projects that tend to be ad hoc in nature or focused on solving specific challenges of moderate complexity. These clients often expect project scope to go beyond the delivery of strategies or recommendations to include the implementation of specific VBC initiatives, often resulting in measurable outcomes.
Credible Sources of Information
Chartis Group, Health Catalyst, and Milliman were identified by KLAS as credible sources of information for validated projects that is of lower complexity with clients who have not yet taken on risk or are in the earlier stages of their value-based care transformation efforts.
ROI of Value-Based Care Consulting Outcomes
Provider organizations commonly describe VBC consulting firms as expensive, but most also say they get good value for their dollars. While most firms have proven they can help clients better manage risk, KLAS finds transformational partner firms (most notably PwC and Navigant) tend to deliver the broadest set of outcomes. Milliman clients say they pay a premium but describe the firm as highly accurate and helpful. Some blame themselves for budget issues, saying they turn to Milliman too often. Both Premier and Optum stand out for delivering tangible outcomes. In their role as problem-solvers, both are praised for providing strong, reliable data and helping clients uncover actionable opportunities for improvement.
Clients cited Lumeris has demonstrated the ability to help advisory clients achieve a broad set of outcomes. However, as noted above, the Lumeris clients who did not opt to move forward with the firm’s managed services offering report lower value and fewer tangible outcomes, pulling down Lumeris’ average in these metrics.
For more information on the report, visit https://klasresearch.com/