Value-based care represents a significant evolution in how care is delivered, measured, and (in many scenarios) reimbursed in senior living. While the destination is important, the path to getting there matters just as much.
When I speak with operators about value-based care, the conversation often turns quickly to financial models, payer partnerships, and shared savings agreements. Yet what’s frequently overlooked—and underinvested in—is the essential first step: operational readiness and effective change management.
After supporting many teams through this transition, it is clear that change management and operational readiness drive success in VBC. Read on for where and how to get started.
Operational change begins with cultural buy-in
Trust is the foundation of value-based care—trust between leaders and staff, between caregivers and families, and between residents and their clinical providers.
This trust cannot be assumed; it must be earned through clear communication and shared purpose. In our work with operators, we consistently see that the most successful transitions begin by investing in cultural buy-in. When staff understand the “why” behind the change—and feel involved in shaping it—their engagement and commitment follow naturally.
Trust is also critical for the partnerships that you can build with primary care providers, pharmacies, hospice, and any other provider that is part of the resident’s care team.
Making the Case for Value-Based Care - From the Frontline to the C-Suite
Ensuring alignment across care teams prevents a siloed rollout and supports long-term sustainability of any new care model. I’ve seen firsthand that even the most promising model will struggle if it is perceived as adding burden without offering greater benefits.
To gain buy-in from all levels of the care team - whose workflows are at the center of operational change - leaders should frame the benefits of value-based care in role-specific, practical terms.
Nurses: Reducing the Burden of Fragmented Care
Nurses are often the ones absorbing the operational burden when care is fragmented. In models where external physicians rotate in and out, nurses are left coordinating across gaps—chasing down orders, clarifying care plans, and filling in communication voids.
A value-based care model that embeds consistent, community-aligned primary care providers reduces this burden by:
- Streamlining communication and coordination
- Providing clarity in clinical roles and responsibilities
- Allowing nurses to focus more time on direct resident care
- Creating more predictable workflows that reduce day-to-day stress
This consistency not only enhances care quality but also improves staff satisfaction and retention. By building partnerships with values-aligned primary care providers, nurses can have someone on the care team who approaches the resident’s care through a more holistic and collaborative lens, as compared to a provider who is seeing a resident in an office and doesn’t have any community-level context.
Caregivers and Med Techs: Turning Data Into Advocacy
Caregivers and med techs often face unpredictable demands—responding to unscheduled needs without a formal record of their time and effort. Untracked and undocumented care leads to insufficient staffing and is subsequently one of the leading contributors to burnout and turnover.
Value-based care changes that by emphasizing thorough documentation and proactive care planning. When unscheduled care is logged and surfaced, it creates actionable data that leaders can use to:
- Justify staffing adjustments based on real care patterns
- Identify residents with rising acuity before an incident occurs
- Advocate for additional resources to support resident needs
- Reinforce that proactive care is smarter care—not “extra” work
By shifting the focus from reactive tasks to strategic, data-informed decisions, value-based care empowers caregivers to participate in shaping a more sustainable care environment.
Engaging residents and families
Operational change doesn’t stop with staff—it deeply affects residents and their families, particularly when new care models introduce changes in primary care or pharmacy providers.
What families need to hear:
- Why the change is happening: Stronger partnerships with pharmacies and consistent primary care providers aren’t just administrative—they’re care-enhancing.
- The benefit: These relationships reduce medication errors, enable faster turnaround times, and allow for deeper, more consistent clinical engagement with residents.
Even more importantly, value-based care has the potential to reduce unnecessary ED visits and hospitalizations. When communities maintain consistent and consolidated clinical data, they’re better equipped to intervene early.
Documentation gaps that can seem small - e.g. ensuring that 100% of residents have advanced care directives in place, can be the difference between unnecessary hospitalizations and interventions vs. preserving an individual’s dignity and choice.
To build trust and maintain autonomy:
- Frame care model updates as evidence-based best practices, not mandates.
- Emphasize the impact on safety, convenience, and quality of life.
- Invite families into the conversation with transparency and empathy.
- Center all conversations around resident and family dignity and autonomy.
Ultimately, the goal is to help residents thrive—not just clinically, but emotionally and socially. Families will support change when they see that it’s rooted in better outcomes and a deeper commitment to personalized care.
The Bottom Line: Good Practice, With or Without Value-Based Care
Transitioning to value-based care does not begin as a technical or financial shift—it begins as a human one. Success depends on operational readiness and empathetic change management.
The communities that invest early in their people, prioritize clear communication, and foster cross-functional alignment will not only be ready for value-based care—they’ll be better positioned to deliver meaningful, resident-centered care in any model.
