What it takes to improve Population Health
Population health can be defined in many ways, but generally, it is considered the outcomes of a group of individuals, often sharing a geographic location, but can also be divided into employees, ethnic groups, prisoners, insurance enrollees, or any other defined class. It can also include the distribution of health services, which depends heavily on the social determinants of health – where one lives, works, learns, and plays. Tracking the care outcomes of these groups can help providers better understand the complexities associated with them, however, some leaders are skeptical of the population health concept, as being too broad and so not useful in decision making and guiding specific research. There are several approaches organizations can take to improve population health management and outcomes, such as linking it into its overall strategy, collaborating with community leaders, data tracking, and implementing new technology.