Can Population Health Be Achieved?

Population health focuses on improving healthcare outcomes for groups of people rather than concentrating on individual care. This approach considers the broader health factors affecting communities, including preventive care, chronic disease management, and the social determinants of health. Nearly 60% of Americans live with chronic conditions, highlighting the importance of population health services to alleviate the burden on the healthcare system. Conifer Health is a strategic partner that implements actionable solutions to do this.

Understanding Population Health

Population health examines the various factors that influence a group’s health outcomes. This comprehensive approach systematically addresses multiple aspects to enhance overall well-being. For instance, effectively managing chronic conditions and improving access to preventive services reduces hospital admissions and health disparities. Each group may have their own unique challenges. For example, a grocery store employer’s population may have a higher average age and a higher prevalence of chronic conditions, where as a construction employer may have a younger population with more births and higher prevalence of muscular skeletal conditions.

Challenges to Achieving Population Health

Population health has challenges that demand innovative solutions. One of the primary obstacles is the fragmented nature of the healthcare system. The lack of coordination means people may choose what symptoms they tell each provider with no one seeing the whole picture.  It can also lead to people seeing more doctors or needing more healthcare visits.  Ultimately it can lead to people struggling to “follow the doctor’s orders”, mistrust with the healthcare system, and increase expense for the member and the plan.  Organizations must explore creative approaches to engage members with their benefits and their health.

The absence of structured and personalized data analytics hampers the effectiveness of population health initiatives. Without robust systems, it becomes difficult to identify at-risk groups. This is a barrier to tailoring interventions, as there is a lack of insights into who requires targeted support and when such support should be administered.

Employee participation is often misunderstood in population health initiatives, particularly preventive care and chronic disease management. For these programs to succeed, individuals need to be motivated to participate. Factors such as varying levels of health literacy, differing personal motivations, and challenges in accessing programs contribute to low levels of participation. Addressing these barriers fosters a workplace health and wellness culture that directly influences the overall success of general population health strategies.

How Conifer Health Can Help

Conifer Health offers data-driven solutions that enable organizations to achieve their population health goals. By utilizing advanced analytics, we uncover trends and identify high-risk members before health issues escalate. Our approach involves predictive modeling and risk stratification, proactively tailoring care management programs to address health concerns. Enhancing provider communication is central to our care coordination strategy. This focus improves member health literacy and completion of full course of treatment where members know how to independently manager their conditions increasing engagement in the health care system and preventing unnecessary emergency room visits.

Conifer enhances employee engagement and health advocacy by promoting personalized wellness programs and telehealth access, encouraging proactive health management.

The Path Forward

Population health is an achievable goal with the right strategy. Data-driven insights, effective care coordination, and a strong focus on engagement drive success. Conifer Health’s commitment to supporting organizations in these areas makes them an invaluable partner in creating healthier populations.

Organizations looking to improve their population health strategy should explore Conifer Health’s solutions. Working together, we will make functional population health a reality.