The physician-insurer dynamic must shift to successfully implement value-based payments.

Decades of practice under a system that set the financial interests of physicians and insurers at odds, has resulted in physician distrust of insurers being cited a key obstacle to value-based arrangements. Insurers must work to shift the insurer-provider relationship from one that's transactional to a partnership built on trust. Even when physicians and insurers agree philosophically on quality over quantity, there are practical challenges. Insurers can provide the data, systems and analytical insights that help inform the physician's care strategy. Implementing value-based payments requires the two groups to build trust and work together to change long-established systems.