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Health care organizations can cut costs by $1.2 million per 10,000 patients by using a health care team to manage chronic illnesses, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute. The researchers concluded the savings would come mostly through reduced hospitalizations and ER visits. To capture any of that money, though, providers must enter into shared-savings arrangements with insurers. Adding new types of workers to a practice's staff-such as dietitians, mental health professionals and social workers-will help the practice manage and prevent disease, which is key to the shift toward value-based payment.

Many physicians are spending an inordinate amount of time on administrative work and addressing patients' social barriers to care-tasks that PwC believes can be shifted to nonphysicians. Instead, primary care physicians will spend more time "designing care plans and addressing patients' complex medical issues," the report said. The consulting firm recommends that practices divide patients into certain categories, such as those with multiple chronic conditions or a mental health condition, and tailor teams to meet their needs.  Read more here.