Aetna Better Health of Virginia provided $7.3 million in value-based care incentive payments to 22 federally qualified health centers in the state in an effort to increase screenings for diabetes as well as breast, cervical and colon cancer.
The community health centers will use the funds primarily to modernize their EHRs and join Virginia Community Healthcare Association's population health platform, according to a May 16 CVS Health news release. These investments will help the health centers improve patient care, health outcomes and, in some cases, their in-house cancer screening capabilities.
Virginia Community Healthcare Association CEO Tracy Douglas said in the release that community health centers operate on razor-thin margins, and the funds provided through these incentives will allow them to move closer to value-based care without diverting operational dollars from patient care.