About four years ago, York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health made a shift that would result in millions saved in total cost of care: It turned its population health department into a systemwide strategy.
“A lot of systems have a population health department, but it’s like a sidecar to the motorcycle,” Brandon Danz, PhD, WellSpan’s vice president of population health, told Becker’s. “At WellSpan, it’s embedded into the organizational mindset. Advanced capabilities — particularly analytics — are deployed throughout the system. Population health tools and thinking are no longer confined to experts; they’re integrated into service lines. Short- and long-term strategic goals are built around population health and embedded into the organization’s structure.”
Making this shift from department to strategy required the support of both the CEO and financial leadership.
“Population health requires you to lead in both fee-for-service and value-based care,” Dr. Danz said. “When your feet are in two canoes, friction can occur. Financial leadership must be lockstep with strategic leadership so you don’t feel forced to choose one over the other.”
Leadership alignment also included integrating population health metrics into incentive packages and yearly goals. From there, WellSpan embedded population health goals into each part of the system.
“Population health touches analytics, care management, provider network management, medical directorships, home health, primary care, service lines, HCC coding, Medicare ACO quality and more,” Dr. Danz said.
The results
This shift has led to millions saved and better patient outcomes.
Each service line has a total cost of care goal focused on eliminating unnecessary or wasteful care utilization that does not contribute to the optimal health outcomes. The population health team works closely with service line leaders to identify opportunities and execute change.
In cardiology, the team created new protocols for triage nurses to use when a patient with heart failure calls in with shortness of breath. The simple change has cut potentially avoidable admissions by 11.2% and saved more than $3 million in total costs of care. The team has similar projects across every major Medicare chronic condition, including COPD, diabetes, oncology, end-of-life care and post-acute utilization.
“Seven months into our current fiscal year, service line projects have reduced costs by over $5 million,” Dr. Danz said. “As of Q4 2025, our unadjusted total cost of care for our Medicare population is lower than it was six quarters earlier. That’s raw cost — not risk-adjusted. In an inflationary healthcare environment, that’s meaningful.”
There has also been a positive impact for the economy. WellSpan’s Medicare ACO produced more than $36 million in savings for patients and the federal government in 2024, bringing its three-year total to $75 million. It has also enhanced quality, experience and affordability of care for more than 73,000 patients.
“Systems must realize that succeeding in value-based care does not require sacrificing fee-for-service performance,” Dr. Danz said. “It’s not a zero-sum tradeoff. You can do both.”
