WHITTIER, Calif., June 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the U.S. health care system continues moving from fee-for-service models toward value-based care, Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is preparing future healthcare professionals to deliver integrative, whole-person care focused on outcomes, prevention, patient experience, and responsible use of resources. Learn more about SCU's approach to integrative Whole Health education.

The transition reflects a growing national effort to improve health outcomes while controlling costs. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. national health expenditures grew 7.2 percent in 2024 to $5.3 trillion, or $15,474 per person, accounting for 18 percent of gross domestic product. CMS has also set a goal of having all people with Traditional Medicare in accountable care relationships —care models that reward providers for improving quality, coordinating care, and controlling costs—by 2030.

"Value-based care challenges health care leaders to look beyond whether a service was delivered and ask whether that care actually improved a person's health, function, experience, and long-term well-being," said Melissa Nagare, DC, L.Ac., Vice President for SCU Health and Chief Clinical and Whole Health Officer at SCU. To read SCU's full perspective, visit SCU's article on value-based care and whole-person healthcare.

At SCU, this national shift aligns with the university's focus on training health professionals to consider not only symptoms and diagnoses, but also patient goals, function, quality of life, prevention, care coordination, and the broader social and environmental factors that influence health.

Integrative, whole-person healthcare supports the goals of value-based care through:

• Coordinated, team-based care across disciplines
• Care plans built around individual patient goals and preferences
• A focus on prevention, healthy lifestyle changes, and overall quality of life
• Attention to physical, behavioral, emotional, social, and environmental factors

"Whole Health begins by asking what matters to the patient, not only what is the matter with the patient," Nagare said. "When care teams understand a person's goals, barriers, daily life, and motivation, they can design care plans that are more meaningful, more sustainable, and more likely to support outcomes that matter."

SCU prepares students for this future through clinical education, interprofessional learning, and whole-person care experiences. Through SCU Health, students train in an environment that emphasizes patient-centered communication, evidence-informed integrative care, whole-person assessment, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

"Future health professionals will need strong clinical skills, but they will also need to understand outcomes, communication, collaboration, and the lived realities of patients," Nagare said. "The goal is not simply to deliver more services. The goal is to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right combination, in a way that helps people live better."

As value-based care continues to evolve, SCU leaders say integrative and whole-person healthcare should be part of the national conversation about how care is delivered, measured, and improved.

About Southern California University of Health Sciences
Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) is one of the world's only Integrative, Whole Health universities—teaching students to blend the best of conventional medicine with proven complementary approaches, and to treat the whole person (body, mind, and spirit). Founded in 1911, SCU has been challenging convention and pushing healthcare forward for more than 100 years. Today, the institution offers graduate, undergraduate, and certificate programs in a wide range of disciplines, including Chiropractic, Sports Medicine, Physical & Occupational Therapy, Genetic Counseling, Genetics & Genomics, Medical Science, Physician Assistant, Ayurveda, Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Whole Health Leadership, and beyond. Learn more at scuhs.edu.

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SOURCE Southern California University of Health Sciences