In a bid to provide personalized care while improving outcomes for its residents, Bickford Senior Living announced Wednesday that it has joined the Serviam Care Network’s Value-Based Care Alliance to bring the value-based care model to its Virginia communities.
Through the alliance, Bickford aims to enhance quality care while improving health outcomes and reducing costs. The partnership will integrate Serviam’s HigherPath operating system through the alliance to provide personalized, efficient and effective care, according to the organizations.
Initially, five communities with a total of more than 300 residents will participate, but Bickford told McKnight’s Senior Living that it is in the process of expanding the effort across its entire portfolio of 58 communities in eight states.
“Senior care today is reactive, expensive and siloed. It’s a sick care system, not a healthcare system designed to keep seniors healthy,” Bickford CEO Andy Eby said in a statement. “We’re taking the road less traveled and championing a higher standard of senior care.”
Bickford Vice President of Sales and Marketing Justin Stein told McKnight’s Senior Living that the company’s commitment to value-based care is rooted in its founding mission and the care provided to its first resident, Mary Bickford, the grandmother of the ownership group.
“Bickford was created to care for her, and since then, we have dedicated ourselves to caring for all of our residents as if they were family,” Stein said. “Mary deserved better, and so do our current and future residents.”
Curana Health, a value-based clinical care company, and Serviam — with a network that includes 41 operators across 49 states — launched the alliance last year. The coalition of senior living operators and care teams — including primary care physicians, therapists, technology partners and a payer — is focused on delivering better health outcomes at lower cost.
The value-based care model focuses on preventive care, disease management and coordinated health services. Serviam CEO Tim Donnelly said in a release that the alliance will create a healthcare environment that promotes wellness, independence and dignity for residents.
Eby said that partnering with Serviam’s Value-Based Care Alliance is a “significant step toward revolutionizing senior care in Virginia.”
Since rolling out its value-based care model in some communities in 2022 through Serviam, Bickford reported “remarkable” improvements, including a 55% decrease in falls with injury, a 10% decrease in weekly emergency department visits and no medication errors. Bickford and Serviam said that the outcomes highlight the effectiveness of the value-based care model in enhancing resident safety and health.
