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Executive Briefing: Accountable Care
Sponsored by:
How to Make Population Health
Management Personal
E
ven though health and illness are considered some of the
most personal aspects of anyone's life, visiting a physi-
cian's office or a hospital can be one of the most imper-
sonal, conveyer belt-like experiences for many patients.
"I often use the example of the DMV experience when going to an
acute-care facility for an episode of care," says Damon Auer, vice
president of healthcare for Tribridge, a technology services firm.
Between completing forms and waiting in lines or waiting rooms,
the entire process becomes scientific and impersonal.
As the healthcare industry begins to transition from a fee-for-ser-
vice reimbursement structure to pay-for-performance or capitated
payment structures, it is becoming obvious that healthcare orga-
nizations will be successful in the future only if they move toward
population health management.
While the term "population health management" itself also sounds
impersonal — emphasizing the population instead of the people
who define it — providers that utilize the method successfully are
providing personalized care on a patient-by-patient basis. "Health-
care providers have to effectively, proactively and collaboratively
engage with patients, even when they're not in the healthcare fa-
cilities, and certainly when they are," Mr. Auer says.
It's about to get Personal.
