CTuD2 - Timely Twenty-Minute Tips

The Cost-Effectiveness of Remote Eye Exams for Diabetic Care

Session Description: Deep exploration into the ability and cost-effectiveness of remote eye exams for diabetic care. Diabetes is a leading cause of vision loss in the U.S., yet fewer than 20% of community health centers offer comprehensive vision care. With millions at risk for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, early detection is critical—but traditional in-person eye exams remain costly and inaccessible for many.

This session presents a reproducible, cost-effective model for integrating remote eye exams into primary care settings, improving early disease detection while reducing long-term healthcare costs. Studies show that for every $1 invested in remote screening, up to $4 is saved in treatment costs, making it a scalable solution for value-based care models.

Through real-life patient impact stories, including Maria’s journey from undiagnosed retinopathy to timely treatment, attendees will explore how policy innovations, reimbursement strategies, and workflow integration can expand access to diabetic eye care. The session will also engage the audience through interactive polling and a Q&A discussion, identifying common barriers and practical solutions to implementing remote eye exams in resource-constrained environments.

By the end of the session, participants will have a clear roadmap to advocate for policy changes, integrate vision screenings into routine care, and enhance their health center’s role as a leader in population health and value-based care.

Lessons from Real CHC VBC Negotiations: Optimizing Value-Based Contracts for Financial and Quality Success

Session Description: Value-based contracting (VBC) is about aligning financial incentives, quality measures, and operational execution to maximize performance. In this session, Emily Walker will break down a proven 7-step framework for structuring and optimizing VBC agreements. Drawing from real-world experience negotiating over 10 contracts with community health centers (CHCs) in the past year alone, attendees will gain actionable insights into negotiation strategies, incentive design, and performance tracking to ensure long-term success.

Providing Specialty Care in a Community Health Center - Two models of How to Develop and Maximize Partnerships with Academic Medical Systems

Session Description: To address health inequities in access to cardiovascular care, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Division of Cardiology has developed two models that enable the provision of cardiovascular specialty care within Community Health Systems. One model uses volunteer medical students and cardiology faculty to staff a part-time free/low-cost cardiology clinic embedded within Piedmont Health System (PHS). Patients are referred by PHS primary care providers, scheduled by PHS with the notes going into the PHS electronic health record (EHR). PHS provides space, registration staff, lab services and an on-site pharmacy. UNC provides a portable ultrasound machine to enable echocardiography. Clinical studies have shown that this model reaches an underserved population with a high burden of cardiovascular disease and most importantly, to improve care. This model also provides first and second year medical students with an exposure to Community Health Centers. The second model involves the establishment of a UNC Cardiology Clinic embedded within an FQHC. This model was developed in conjunction with Compassion Health (CH). Patients are referred by CH providers but scheduled by UNC with the notes going into the UNC EHR. UNC rents space from CH for this clinic. This model works well when access, and not health insurance, is the major barrier to care. Both of these models provide more access to cardiovascular care and facilitate communication between primary care providers and cardiologists.