3 Keys for Governments to Unlock Cost Savings with Proactive, Whole-Person Care
How data-driven proactive care management can transform community well-being and reduce healthcare costs
For too long, our health and human service system has been stuck in a reactive cycle, treating health issues only after they become expensive crises. This model is costly and misses countless opportunities to improve lives before challenges escalate.
A transformation is underway. Communities across the country are moving toward a proactive, data-driven care model that identifies and addresses the needs that impact health long before they require emergency intervention. This is best done through technology that creates a coordinated ecosystem where every partner—from county governments to healthcare providers to community-based organizations—is on the same page. This eliminates silos, focuses on outcomes, and fosters the economic stability that allows individuals and communities to thrive.
When done well, this strategy significantly reduces healthcare spending and improves the health and well-being of community members.
Real-World Proof for Prioritizing Whole-Person Care
This isn’t just a theory; it’s a proven strategy delivering measurable results for communities nationwide.
Here are a few examples of what’s possible:
- Summit County, Ohio: The Summit County NEXT Program saved an estimated $3 million in its first year by increasing financial security for individuals, reducing reliance on public benefits. This collaboration also freed up 591 administrative hours annually and directed $190,000 in reimbursements to local community-based organizations for their services.
- Southwest Virginia: In partnership with the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, Ballad Health generated $825,000 in annualized cost savings per 1,000 patients, driven by a reduction in emergency department utilization.
- Upstate New York: The Healthy Eating Pilot Program connected individuals with Type 2 diabetes to medically tailored food assistance, leading to an estimated 13% reduction in total healthcare costs. Critically, 50% of participants lowered their A1C levels, demonstrating a direct improvement in health outcomes.
The Blueprint for Proactive, Affordable Care
Achieving these kinds of results is well within reach. The core is leveraging integrated data and advanced analytics to anticipate, and then deliver on, health and community needs. Focus on these three keys when designing a proactive system for whole-person care:
Key 1. Data-Driven Early Intervention
By integrating data from healthcare and community services, your agencies can proactively identify individuals at high risk for negative health outcomes. This enables timely, upstream support that prevents costly emergency care, reduces long-term healthcare expenditures, and helps individuals maintain the stability needed to be self-sustaining.
Key 2. Proactive Care Management
To improve health outcomes, especially post-discharge, it’s critical to ensure people are successfully connected to essential community-based services like transportation, nutritious food, behavioral health, and stable housing. Simply handing someone a list of resources doesn’t work. A supported, closed-loop connection to services pays for itself many times over by ensuring needs are actually met.
Key 3. Optimized Resource Allocation
Creating a clear, comprehensive view of population needs allows for the precise allocation of funding and personnel. This ensures that taxpayer dollars and public resources are directed where they will have the greatest impact. This same mechanism also provides a straightforward way to assess which programs are working and which need adjustment, driving continuous improvement.
A Vision for the Future: Whole-Person Care as the Standard
This shift toward proactive, whole-person care is not just about fiscal responsibility; it’s about delivering better, more personalized services for all Americans. While the concept is now gaining national attention, it has been a reality for us for over a decade.
Unite Us was founded in 2013 by two military veterans who saw firsthand how their peers struggled to navigate a fragmented landscape of resources. They set out to build a technology platform that could create a “no wrong door” approach, first for veterans and now for everyone.
That personal mission forged the blueprint for the future of American healthcare—a future that is more predictive, sustainable, and delivers better outcomes for everyone. The promise is clear: every community can now harness the power of technology to move from reactive crisis management to proactive, compassionate care.
Ready to shift from reactive to proactive?
