Dive Brief:
- According to a report in Fierce Healthcare, population health was a hot topic at the 2014 American College of Healthcare Executives Congress this week, with healthcare leaders focused on ways to improve health under value-based care initiatives.
- One case study at the conference came from the UCLA Faculty Practice Group and Medical Group, where chief medical officer Samuel Skootsky, M.D. and his team are creating patient centered teams to foster a coordinated care effort targeting population health. Skootsky sees it as healthcare leaders' responsibility to accept risk for populations.
- Marlene Bober, R.N., administrator of acute enterprise care management for Advocate Health Care in Illinois, described how her organization is improving ED care coordination by educating patients and doctors about the potential to treat patients at primary care sites rather than the ED. She has also created care plans for frequent visitors to the emergency department.
Dive Insight:
For those who have been advocating for a population health management approach in healthcare for many years, this must be an exciting time. Over the next few years, care coordination and overall population health improvement is going to see a golden era, with providers of all stripes working together on levels they never did before. That being said, don't be surprised if many organizations are slow out of the starting gate. Though population health management is critical, it requires building skills that may be weak some hospitals and practices.