Dr. Tim Johnson, VP of Clinical Integration at SSM Health

In this episode of the Becker's Healthcare Podcast, Erika Carbajal interviews Dr. Tim Johnson, Vice President of Clinical Integration at SSM Health, about the health system's value-based care journey. Dr. Johnson discusses the importance of executive leadership support, particularly from CEO Laura Kaiser, and SSM Health's integrated health system model with its own health plan. He highlights the standardization of care management programs, improvements in ambulatory quality metrics, and the increase in lives covered under value-based care agreements. Dr. Johnson also shares strategies for aligning clinical and financial teams, emphasizing a "both and" approach that balances fee-for-service with value-based care, and the use of data through their partnership with NavVis. Looking ahead, SSM Health aims to tailor programs to specific regional needs and move more patients into partial or full-risk contracts, while Dr. Johnson advises other health systems to be patient and embrace a gradual transition to value-based care.