High-Value Care Curriculum
EXEMPLAR - UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
EXEMPLAR - JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Overview
SUMMARY
This toolkit summarizes the development of a three-lesson high-value care (HVC) curriculum for pre-clinical students. This curriculum covers a basic introduction to the following concepts: value in healthcare, patient-reported outcome measures, assessing patients for financial risk, medical billing and healthcare insurance. This toolkit includes the lessons’ PowerPoints and associated teaching notes.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this 3-lesson curriculum is to introduce students to the basic principles of HVC prior to starting clinical rotations and empower them with the knowledge and tools to initiate conversations about HVC with patients and clinicians.
WHY IMPLEMENT IN PRECLINICAL CURRICULUM?
We implemented this HVC curriculum to fill a critical gap in our medical education, ensuring students learn to balance clinical effectiveness with cost-conscious decision-making. Without structured HVC education, students may not develop the skills needed to critically evaluate the benefits, risks, and financial impact of medical interventions, which are essential as healthcare transitions to value-based healthcare models. By integrating these lessons early in training, we aim to build a strong foundation in cost-aware, patient-centered care that students can carry into their clinical years and beyond.
STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
- Engage with Curriculum Leadership: Initiate discussions with your institution’s curriculum directors, particularly those overseeing applied health system sciences. This collaboration will help you align the HVC curriculum with the school’s overarching educational objectives.
- Define Specific Learning Objectives: Develop targeted learning objectives for the HVC curriculum that complement the institution’s broader goals. Ensure these objectives promote critical thinking and adaptability.
- Integrate into Existing Curriculum: Identify opportunities to embed HVC lessons within current curricular activities, such as problem-based learning sessions. Collaborate with the respective course directors to establish a feasible implementation timeline.
- Establish Continuous Review: Schedule regular meetings with the curriculum director or a designated advisor to review and refine the curriculum materials annually, ensuring they meet educational standards and objectives. (Our tip: Ensure each cohort of STARS at your school is championing this continuous improvement initiative to ensure the HVC content being taught remains relevant and timely!)
- Develop Evaluation Tools: Create pre- and post-curriculum surveys to assess the curriculum’s effectiveness. Additionally, solicit feedback from instructors to inform continuous improvement of the curriculum. (Our tip: We developed our surveys using questions from this study by Hunderfund et al)
LESSONS LEARNED
We started small! The project started as a one-lesson pilot and evolved into a longitudinal, multi-session curriculum that will continue to impact future medical students at our local institution (Ohio State). We were intentional with every component we added to the lessons. As we created the curriculum, we kept coming back to the question: “What value does this add to students’ learning experiences?”
Choosing the right platform to deliver the lessons was critical. At Ohio State, we have a “how to be a doctor” class called longitudinal group (LG) where we learn physical exam, patient interviewing, and clinical decision-making skills throughout years 1 and 2. This weekly course pairs 12 preclinical students with one faculty preceptor for a more intimate learning experience. This was the perfect platform for our lessons because it provided a consistent, faculty-led learning experience where students could engage in meaningful discussions, apply high-value care principles to clinical scenarios, and receive real-time feedback.
We keep finding ways to improve! Once we established the curriculum, we leaned on the next STARS cohorts to use student and faculty feedback to continuously improve the curriculum year after year, so the material remains relevant.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Disclaimer: If using any Lessons/Teaching Notes, please attribute to The Ohio State University STARS Program
HELPFUL RESOURCES
Disclaimer: If using any Lessons/Teaching Notes, please attribute to The Ohio State University STARS Program
IMPACT STATEMENTS
“Being introduced to high value care as a second-year student transitioning into third year rotations has strengthened my clinical decision making through a patient-centered lens. I better understand the importance of prioritizing the most effective interventions while avoiding unnecessary ones and look forward to implementing this framework clinically.”
- Michelle Yin, MS2, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
“Before the HVC LG curriculum, my focus in medical school was mastering every possible diagnosis and treatment option, oftentimes forgetting to consider the broader implications of hospital resource utilization. The HVC in LG sessions helped me step back and think broadly, allowing me to consider my patients holistically, and to think about what truly necessary care is rather than think about all that is possible. This greatly helped me in my clinical years as I became more intentional in balancing clinical reasoning with the realities of healthcare costs, especially for extended hospitalizations. This education has shaped me into a more thoughtful, patient-centered provider.”
- Vidya Mullangi, MS3, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
“Introducing high-value care to medical students while they are learning fundamental clinical skills early in their education provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of patient-centered and cost-conscious care.”
- Michael J. Alexander, MD, Longitudinal Group Program Director, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
CHAMPIONS
Hannah Shenton is an MD student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is passionate about high-value care, medical education, and improving quality of care in primary care settings. She co-developed this longitudinal high-value care curriculum for preclinical students with Anitra and serves on a national task force assessing its education during clerkships nationwide. Hannah aspires to lead in high-value care as a family medicine physician, advocating for evidence-based, cost-conscious patient care and improving healthcare value through local and national groups increasing emphasis on primary and preventive care.
Anitra Karthic is an MD/MHA dual-degree student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, passionate about value-based healthcare. She co-developed this longitudinal high-value care curriculum for preclinical students with Hannah and serves on a national task force assessing its education during clerkships nationwide. She is actively involved in research and anesthesia-focused point-of-care ultrasound education. Anitra aspires to drive innovation at the intersection of perioperative optimization, QI, and healthcare strategy as well as mentor future generations of physicians in cost-conscious, patient-centered care. In her free time, she loves to listen to podcasts and host dinner parties for her friends.
Tae-Hee Kim is an MD student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. As part of the STARS cohort in the following year after Hannah and Anitra, she was involved in the expansion and continuation of the longitudinal high-value care curriculum for preclinical students. In addition to value-based care, she is also passionate about medical education, surgical innovation, and quality improvement, particularly in urologic areas. In the future, Tae-Hee hopes to be a leader and mentor for others in the urologic field and strives to be an ambassador of resource stewardship and patient-centered care in clinical and educational settings.