How retail acquisitions will accelerate adoption of value-based care

Major health care players are ramping up investment in tools supporting VBC as a strategic play to capture more health care spending. CVS’ acquisition of Oak Street Health is one example of a visible commitment to VBC that lowers costs and improves outcomes. By combining its health services with Oak Street Health, CVS VBC gained a more expansive footprint. Oak Street had more than 600 primary care providers and 169 senior-focused medical centers across 21 states before the acquisition. The company’s focus on seniors aligns with the area of the market most focused on VBC—Medicare. I expect many other big retailers will follow this model.