In 2021, we are stepping into a new decade with a pandemic on board; there is a widespread agreement on the importance of focusing on healthier individuals and communities with better and more affordable hospital management systems.
Population health analytics is defined as the first step toward developing a system that successfully manages a population's health.
Further, let's explore Population health and population health management as a methodological approach that any hospital management system uses to move towards population health management solutions.
The data illustrated for the global market regarding population health management solutions in 2016 gives an estimated number for 2025. In 2016, the global market was estimated to be worth roughly $8.9 billion. By 2025, the market is expected to increase by more than $50 billion.
In this paradigm, population health is one of the cost containment solutions that focuses on a group of people inside a given geopolitical area. It highlights population health analytics that incorporates social, economic, environmental, and individual behaviors and genetic factors in addition to clinical components of healthcare management software.
On the other side, population health management is the management of health and outcomes for sub-populations such as the patients treated by a health facility
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Importance of Population Health Management:
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has drastically transformed how population health management strategies deliver services, exposing the vulnerability of care delivery based on face-to-face routine care and fee-for-service reimbursement structures.
Value-based contract participation fosters robust population health management, which blends analytics and agile clinical programs and is adaptable to optimize results and reduce risk during community-level crises.
Researchers have revealed how established population health analytics-based programs in a learning health system quickly leverage to address the pandemic's concerns.
Identifying age group inequalities and community outreach has been made easier thanks to population-level data and careful monitoring. Telemedicine and integrated healthcare solutions behavioral health have ensured crucial primary care and specialized access. In contrast, mobile health(mHealth) and post-acute therapies have changed care sites and reduced in-patient hospital utilization.
From a value-based perspective, population health can dominate as a foundation of a robust health system, adequately equipped to enhance public health and manage risk.
Before the coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19), the US healthcare system underwent tremendous changes, turning away from inefficiencies and towards patient-centeredness.
In the short term, health care systems may reasonably focus on intensity to compensate for lost revenue. They may be concerned that joining a care management organization may put them at more economic burden due to the unclear influence of COVID-19 on contract performance.
However, after COVID-19, population health management will play a critical role in assisting financial recovery and leading the change of health care delivery.
Population health programs can help build a robust health system after the pandemic. Providing personalized services, the analytics, strategic engagement, and program innovation that enabled success during the initial COVID-19 boom can help prevent a resurgence.
Cases at the immense risk of poor consequences can be identified using clinical registries and risk prediction algorithms. High-risk care management needs to be adapted more flexibly to medical and social demands. Telemedicine should be viewed as a critical tool for reducing low-value care while increasing efficiency and improving the patient experience.
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The Main Purpose of Population Health Management:
Suppose organizations do not have the strategy and information technology capabilities to make outreach more targeted, accurate, and efficient. In that case, comprehensive data analysis is done through EHR solutions, and patient engagement activities can soon manage significant cost containment in healthcare.
The purpose of Population Health Management is as follows:
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Chronic disease management:
Healthcare institutions use population healthcare management solutions to manage chronic disease treatment methods, such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Wellness and preventive health:
Population health management companies offer campaigns to encourage adolescents and adults to adopt healthy lifestyle choices. This category includes healthcare interoperability solutions that encourage youngsters to indulge in weight loss and smoking suspension programs.
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Clinically integrated networks:
Primary care physicians, specialists, and hospitals collaborate to improve patient care by forming networks. Delivery of high-quality treatment and decreased costs, these networks integrate health record systems and track data.
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At-risk payment structures:
These organizations are dedicated to enhancing the quality of care provided to their members and providing financial incentives.
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At-risk cost structures:
This initiative encompasses Medicaid-managed care and self-insured employment plans, among other things. Medicare scores are determined by the multiple diagnostic codes that physicians report. In theory, the concept encourages clinicians to keep patients healthy through population health management tools such as clinical decision support systems, EHR solutions, and integrated healthcare solutions.
