Klein: The homecare industry’s challenge: embrace value-based care

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With the health care profession now among Long Island’s largest employers, value-based care (VBC) has become far more than business jargon; it’s a cost control imperative.

Only through VBC can the home care sector respond to rising costs, fragmented care, and missed opportunities for meaningful outcomes that seek to improve the lives of tens of thousands of individuals in need of care.

To unlock its full potential, we must look beyond long held policies and accounting metrics, and truly rethink care delivery at every level, including how we approach care within the home where some of the most critical transformations can take place.

Traditionally, home care has been reactive, initiated only after a crisis occurs. Picture this: A patient suffers a fall, is rushed to the hospital, and later returns home to a caregiver or licensed professional assigned to help manage recovery. While essential, this fee-for-service model focuses on damage control rather than prevention. VBC, however, offers a more proactive path—one that addresses health and social needs before they escalate. This shift moves the focus from hospital rooms to living rooms, delivering care where people feel safest and most comfortable. When we embed healthcare into people’s daily lives, we not only prevent emergencies but also foster long term well-being.

To this author, this shift captures the heart of VBC: Success isn’t about waiting to treat illness, it’s about promoting well-being every single day and enabling people to live with dignity, reducing the need for unnecessary medical interventions, and creating value that benefits everyone. When we succeed in keeping people healthier at home, everyone wins—patients, caregivers and health plans alike.

While primary care providers have traditionally led the charge toward VBC, I believe the home care sector holds untapped potential to drive this change even further. Home care provides a unique opportunity to meet people where they are most comfortable, addressing physical, emotional and social needs simultaneously. However, achieving this vision demands more than individual effort—it requires partnerships across our healthcare ecosystem. Providers, specialists and health plans must work together, guided by shared data and a commitment to meaningful engagement. Building this sustainable, value-based system requires persistence, innovation and a willingness to learn.

The best outcome is not just about short-term gains such as reducing hospital admissions or meeting satisfaction scores; it’s about advancing long-term change by helping patients thrive, caregivers work more efficiently, and healthcare systems manage costs sustainably. It’s about both quality of life and risk management. When completed properly, this idea has the power to foster a system where patients are empowered, not dependent, and where care is coordinated seamlessly across all facets of a person’s life.

A key insight is that home care cannot function in isolation. To truly succeed, we must remove the silos that divide different parts of our industry, including strong collaboration with PCPs, specialists, health plans and partners within our industry, to create the seamless, coordinated care experience patients need and deserve.

Yes, efficiency matters, but patients also want to feel seen and understood as human beings. Which is why, at its core, VBC should be about understanding the human experience and what truly matters to people—whether it’s maintaining independence, staying connected socially and/or avoiding unnecessary treatments.

Healthcare is evolving rapidly, and those who embrace innovation will be positioned to lead this change. Current regulatory shifts are reshaping how care is delivered and reimbursed and home care must adapt to remain relevant. Tools such as remote patient management and telehealth will facilitate agencies and providers alike to extend care beyond hospitals, ensuring patients receive support without sacrificing the human connection. But it’s important to remember, technology alone isn’t enough. The future belongs to organizations here on Long Island across the health care industry that blend digital solutions with compassionate, personalized care.

Josh Klein is CEO of Emerest and Royal Care, which are specialized home healthcare services companies based throughout the northeast region, including Long Island.