Scaling Back to Bend the Cost Curve: Getting to Total Cost of Care 2.0

Of course, the meaning of total cost of care (TCoC) is best thought of as the cost to payers rather than a practice’s actual internal cost to offer services, Cohen noted. “[TCoC] is truly from the eyes of the payers, not from the eyes of a provider — it’s their cost associated with their patients or with their beneficiaries,” Cohen said.

In that view, TCoC includes the entire care continuum, not just the care provided at one practice. “It really encompasses not only the care received from that physician, but the follow-up care received by the patient that’s been seen, either for specialty care or ancillary services, surgical care, hospital stays, post-acute care — you name it,” Cohen added.