What is the goal of risk adjustment in healthcare?

The goal of risk adjustment in healthcare is indeed to provide fair compensation based on patient complexity. This process involves assessing the health status and treatment needs of patients to ensure that healthcare providers receive reimbursement that accurately reflects the acuity and complexity of the patients they serve.

By accounting for factors such as age, chronic conditions, and socioeconomic status, risk adjustment methodologies aim to level the playing field for organizations caring for populations with varying levels of health needs. This way, providers who care for higher-risk patients are compensated appropriately, which helps ensure that all patients have access to the necessary care and resources.

The other choices do not accurately capture the essence of risk adjustment. Increasing healthcare service availability focuses on improving access, which is a different aspect of healthcare planning. Reducing the overall cost of healthcare is an overarching goal that can be a byproduct of various initiatives but is not the direct purpose of risk adjustment. Enhancing patient education and engagement pertains more to how patients interact with their healthcare system, rather than how providers are compensated for patient care complexity. Thus, the focus remains on ensuring equity in reimbursement tied directly to the complexities of patient care through risk adjustment.