The concept of population health first came about in 2003 when David Kindig and Greg Stoddart defined it as “the health outcome of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.”
Today, some individuals argue this definition, while accurate, focuses strictly on the measurement of health outcomes without explaining or acknowledging the role that healthcare providers must take to impact those outcomes.
Out of 37 healthcare leaders surveyed — including CEOs, vice presidents, directors, professors, presidents, founders, principals and other leaders — only two people directly cited Kindig and Stoddard’s original definition.
While few were able to cite the original definition, many of the leaders addressed issues regarding the question of responsibility and the triple aim in their interpretations.
“While we may not have reached a universal consensus on what ‘population health’ means, we discovered that now is the time to think differently — not only about the definition of population health — but also about the way healthcare is delivered. In our ever-evolving healthcare environment, perhaps the ‘traditional way’ may not be the right answer,” wrote the survey researcher.
More articles on population health:
Boston Children’s study examines ticketing laws for seat belt violations: 3 findings
Novel population health program improves health in older adults with depression
The population health management conundrum: Overcoming challenges to sustainable PHM strategies
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