Population Health

Abstract

Population health focuses on the health outcomes of a defined group, including the distribution of specific outcomes within the larger group or subgroups, as well as strategies for improvement. Although applications and programs of population health have markedly grown at a time of value-based health care, the concepts of population health are still evolving and are often tied to chronic illness care. Data and measurement are critical to improving population health and there are different and often overlapping approaches. Current applications of population health management in chronic disease are grounded in care management, which seeks to extend the reach of clinical care services and enhances targeted interventions to complex patient populations across health care settings and providers. These and other population health strategies are data driven, with specific outcomes that are linked a defined population. Information technology plays a central role in population health and care management.