March 2023 edition  : Commissioning for Better Value

Commissioning for Better Value (CBV) applies a value based healthcare lens to shift our focus from outputs to outcomes and to help you achieve your local priorities and Future Health goals.  

CBV is aligned to Future Health objective 6.1 ‘drive value based healthcare’, but the principles can be applied to projects across all of the Future Health objectives. An outcomes focus is an important part of building our health system for the future.  

What is CBV? 

Commissioning for Better Value is an outcomes-based approach that involves four stages: 

  • analysing service needs and identifying desired outcomes 
  • designing evidence-based service models 
  • implementing the selected service model 
  • reviewing and evaluating outcomes to ensure continuous improvement. 
These stages align to project or service planning cycles and support you to apply a value based, human centred approach that prioritises outcomes and collaboration.  

CBV complements existing processes and provides a roadmap to support local teams to innovate and generate solutions to achieve desired outcomes. The principles of CBV can be applied flexibly to a range of projects and services to meet local needs and contribute to delivering value based healthcare.  

CBV is commonly used to develop or review services, policies, proposals and contracts and prepare business cases as part of strategic planning.  

It has been used for services such as medical imaging, pharmacy, radiation oncology, virtual care and pathology.  

How do I apply CBV? 

There are a range of resources and tools on the CBV community site available to support NSW Health staff at each stage of the CBV cycle:  

  • A CBV pathway introduces you to key steps to implement CBV, poses key questions and provides links to resources. You can use the completed CBV pathway to inform your project, implementation and evaluation plans. 
  • Program logic helps you to plan and align service inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes to the four essentials of value.  
  • The CBV business case practice guide supports you to develop a business case that considers the outcomes that need to be achieved and design the service to achieve these outcomes.  
  • A CBV communications plan template helps you develop a plan for communication and stakeholder engagement to support service implementation.  
  • The 2022 Insights Report on contracts developed and monitored using a CBV approach highlights learnings and opportunities to strengthen the development and management of contracts. 
Current as at: Thursday 2 March 2023
Contact page owner: Strategic Reform and Planning