Shorter hospital stays, 'one-stop-shop' resolution of clinical issues are good signs for value-based care practices, says Risant CEO Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D.

Although results are from just the early stages, shorter hospitals and more “one-stop-shop” resolution of clinical issues show that the value-based practices implemented at Risant Health are working, says Jaewon
Ryu, M.D, J.D.

Less time spent in the hospital — I think that is always a good barometer,” says Ryu, CEO of Risant Health. “It’s a great barometer of quality. It’s a great barometer of the patient experience and it’s a great barometer of affordability. I think it’s a leading indicator that suggests we’re headed in the right direction.”

Risant comprises Geisinger Health in north-central Pennsylvania and Cone Health in North Carolina.

This is the sixth segment from an interview with Ryu after he and his colleagues published an article last month in NEJM Catalyst about the implementation of value-based practices developed at Kaiser Permanente at Risant. Those practices ranged from an ambient clinical tool to record patient-provider interactions to value-based care guides to an “intelligent triage” tool that uses dynamic questioning about symptoms and medical records to guide patients to appropriate care. The value-based program also includes a Care Without Delay program designed to smooth transitions and coordinate care across different parts of the health system

Ryu and his colleagues reported in NEJM Catalyst that overall clinical length of stay at Geisinger Community Medical Center, one of the main hospitals of the Geisinger system, declined by 0.14 days (from 5.29 to 5.15) from February 2025 to September 2025 after seven of the 21 components of the Care Without Delay were prioritized there.

Ryu said that the intelligent triage tool has resulted in people in not going to the emergency room or receiving care in a lower acuity setting. He also mentioned a decrease in the number of referrals associated with the use of the value-based care guides. In NEJM Catalyst, Ryu and his colleagues found that specialty referrals had declined by 5.25% each month, which they said works out to an average of 700 specialty appointment slots that have been opened up each month.