Integrate health care system performance assessment for value-based health care implementation in latvia

Every year, efforts are applied worldwide, particularly in the European Union, to improve health care systems by increasing the added value of resources already available for health care financing by increasing the performance of health care systems. According to experts of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 20–40% of the resources are used for complications that could be avoided, for unnecessary treatment or administrative inefficiency. Therefore, a new initiative to improve health performance – the value-based health care concept (VBHC) is becoming increasingly popular in the world, and particularly in Europe. This scientific article aims to explore the possibilities of applying VBHC in Latvia and the interaction between various management tools in the field of health care. Application of the VBHC concept in Latvia is offered for discussion, where the outcome of the corresponding measure would be identified for each health service provider as part of a one-patient (care) pathway involving several independent health service providers. Based on the Health Care System Performance Assessment (HSPA), clinical (patient) pathways and indicators, to initiate an integrated VBHC model in four priority areas: circulatory system diseases, oncology, mental health, maternal and child health. Meta-analysis of the research is based on the use of qualitative data sources – the existing data sources from policies implemented by the Ministry of Health in Latvia and examples of the introduction of VBHC initiatives worldwide summarised by the VBHC Center Europe. The deductive research is based on the Value-Based Healthcare concept introduced by Porter and Teisberg (2007).