22
Clinical Integration & ACOs
A
s population health emerges as a driving force in healthcare, many
hospitals and health systems are trying to define the precise role
they should play in this complex paradigm.
Some systems are approaching it narrowly, partnering with physician groups
or post-acute care settings and calling it part of their population health strat-
egy. Others are casting a wider net, partnering with community organiza-
tions and taking on responsibilities they wouldn't have considered several
years ago — all without a defined return on investment.
Those approaches are neither right nor wrong, but the latter is more support-
ive of population health's goals — many of which extend beyond the small
bubble of hospitals and physicians.
Somewhere along the way, the term "population health" took on multiple
meanings. The true definition of the term loosened a bit, and people started
peppering their conversations with (what has become) healthcare's hottest
buzzword. If this persists, healthcare runs the risk of diminishing what was
originally a very big, powerful idea.
Population Health:
Why the Hottest Term in
Healthcare is Getting
Problematic
By Molly Gamble
