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Population Health: Transforming Health Care to Improve Our Health

What makes us think that population health can be achieved? The natural act of self-interest may answer that question. We are far more apt to do something if it is shown to be in our self-interest or the interest of those we care about -- and when it is built into the routines of medical care and our lives.

We now have inescapable evidence that illness is bad for business. We know that illness produces absenteeism, presenteeism (showing up but being unproductive), and greater rates of disability. We also know that wellness ("... a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."…

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 Population Health Management

The goal of population health management is improving the overall health of an entire population. Treating health at a population level typically means focusing on improving environment, social structure, and resource distribution. Family planning programs, for instance, play a major role in population health and are one of the most highly cost-effective interventions in medicine.

 What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Population Health?

I believe the answer is yes. Some have argued that the term should be reserved strictly for referring to geographic populations. But given how widely the term is now used in clinical settings, that is not realistic.

Articles of Interest

How many people can our planet really support?

We do not know if today’s population of 7 billion is remotely sustainable, or what the limit is.

Genes, John Wayne and Population Health

What is the smallest thing we can do to help the biggest number of people fastest, opposed to what is the most remarkable thing we can do to help one person sometime in 10 years?

Going Beyond 'Band-Aid' Care

The sage Dr. Patch Adams said that if we treat the disease, we lose; if we treat the patient, we win. To help the patient, we must also address the health of the community.

Growth That Isn't Good: The Unhealthy Side of Getting Bigger

Economic growth is generally regarded as a goal. But when it's not part and parcel of increasing human happiness, growth can tear us down.

Insurers' New Multi-Billion Dollar Play: Population Health

Population health, once an emerging trend, has become a multi-billion-dollar business for the nation’s largest health insurance companies. Managing populations works in tandem with health insurance industry efforts to shift more payments to doctors and hospitals away from fee-for-service medicine to value-based reimbursement that bases reimbursement on how well providers perform and whether their patients achieve better health outcomes.

Population Health Management: Systems and Success

Although the term Population Health Management (PHM) has become something of a buzz-word over the past few years, the concept is often unclearly defined and even less well understood. Population Health Management has to do with the organization and management of the healthcare delivery system in a manner that makes it more clinically effective, more cost effective and safer.

Population Health: 37 Healthcare Executives Define the Term

The term “population health” has been a buzzword in the health IT lexicon for the past few years. Driven largely by the healthcare industry’s transition from a volumes based model to value-based delivery, population health plays a key role in emphasizing the accountability of outcomes.

Populations, Population Health, and the Evolution of Population Management: Making Sense of the Terminology in US Health Care Today

The rapid changes of the last five to seven years in policy-level decision making, payment structures, and provider alignment have shifted the focus from care provided and paid for at an individual level, to managing and paying for health care services for a discrete or defined population – an approach known as population management.

Reducing Lifestyle Diseases Means Changing Our Environment

For better population health, moving forward may mean looking back. We must recognize that we don’t just pass on genes; we pass on environments. The greatest advances in 20th century life expectancy came from public health and environmental changes—mostly outside the walls of a hospital, and often outside the domain of medicine altogether. The greatest strides in reducing illness in the 21st century—allowing people to live longer, disease and disability-free lives—will require the same.

Resources

Heluna Health

Transforming population health through effective partnerships and innovation. We build evidence-based programs, provide fiscal support, and develop custom solutions to help you serve your community.

Whole Cities Foundation

Launched in February 2014, Whole Cities Foundation is the third independent nonprofit foundation established by Whole Foods Market. Our mission is to improve individual and community health through collaborative partnerships, education, and broader access to nutritious food in the communities we serve.

100 Million Healthier Lives

100 Million Healthier Lives is an unprecedented collaboration of change agents across sectors who are pursuing an unprecedented result.

Accountable Care News

Each twelve page monthly issue of Accountable Care News includes detailed feature articles; thought leader insights; industry briefs; profile of a industry leader; plus more.

Building Healthy Communities

Health Happens when all of us matter. Building Healthy Communities partners are changing the odds so that every Californian gets a chance at a long, healthy life by addressing the causes of poor health.

Center for Aging and Population Health

The Center for Aging and Population Health (CAPH) strives to generate new solutions to the challenges of an aging society through the conduct of population-based research that promotes healthy aging, longevity, and prevention of disability.

Comprendo

Comprendo composes and personalizes patient experiences with an educational, engaging journey to change behaviors, improve adherence and attain better health outcomes.

County Health Rankings

Building a culture of health, county by county.

Healthcare Innovation News

The monthly newsletter for professionals interested in innovation and transformation of the delivery of healthcare....

Institute for Population Health Improvement

The mission of the Institute for Population Health Improvement is to create, apply and disseminate knowledge about the many determinants of health in order to improve health and health security and to support activities which improve health equity and eliminate health disparities.

Population Health Alliance

The mission of the Population Health Alliance is to advance the principles of population health improvement, so they become pillars of our healthcare system.

Population Health Colloquium

The leading forum on innovations in population health, chronic care and disease management.

Population Health News

Each 12 page monthly issue includes detailed feature articles; thought leader insights; industry briefs; profile of a industry leader; plus more.

Population Reference Bureau

The Population Reference Bureau informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.

The Population Health Blog

A contrarian, brainy and literature-based resource by Jaan Sidorov that offers jargon-free information, insights, peer-review links and musings from the world of population health, disease management, the medical home, the chronic care model, accountable care organizations, the patient centered medical home, informatics, pay for performance, primary care, chronic illness and health insurance.

Population Health Management

Population Health Management provides comprehensive, authoritative strategies for improving the systems and policies that affect health care quality, access, and outcomes, ultimately improving the health of an entire population. The Journal delivers essential research on a broad range of topics including the impact of social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors on health care systems and practices.