The Impact of a Student-Led High Value Care Competition on Medical Student Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice

Background: Integrating value-based care into medical education poses a significant challenge to academic medical institutions. Studies show that incorporating high value care education early in medical training is critical for fostering cost-conscious care. Although prior initiatives have incorporated principles of high value care into the clinical setting, there are limitations in improving the critical thinking of student clinicians at the individual level. However, student-run clinics offer a unique, hands-on opportunity for medical students to apply high value care and quality improvement principles to improve patient care. Methods: Medical students collaborated with the University of Florida College of Medicine’s (UFCOM) Equal Access Clinic Network (EACN) and the UFCOM administration to design and host a High Value Care Competition. The competition prompted participants to develop project proposals that improve value-based care delivery at EACN. Results: Six teams and one individual (17 students) participated in the first iteration of the competition. A survey administered one week following the competition reflected that the majority of the teams were inspired to think more critically about the healthcare system and connect with like-minded students, faculty, and stakeholders. Surveys administered after nine months reflected progress in project implementation, attesting to the success of the High Value Care Competition in increasing student involvement with value-based care. Project redundancy, lack of stakeholder engagement, and external time pressures were identified as obstacles. Conclusions: This study engaged students in considering value-based care, with most participants reporting increased system awareness and collaboration. Future iterations will focus on arranging a pre-competition consultation with EACN stakeholders, and connecting teams with faculty mentorship. We intend to offer this competition as an optional capstone project for students interested in the Health Systems Science curriculum, as well as expand the competition to other student-run health programs at the university.