This week, we’re celebrating the first anniversary of Improving Population Health. We began last May with a post on population health advocacy that asked, “Is Population Health Finally Coming into Its Own?” That post outlined the blog’s purpose:
Why am I starting a blog on issues and perspectives in the field of population health? It is because I believe we are at a "tipping point" in which a convergence of scholarship, policy, and practice initiatives seem poised to bring an overdue population health perspective to thinking about and acting on health and health improvement. The challenge of the next decade will be to find practical ways in which new approaches to financial and non-financial incentives and multi-sectoral partnerships can be applied to improve population health outcomes here and elsewhere.
Over the past year, we have put the spotlight on the many aspects of the Affordable Care Act that are relevant to and offer promise for population health improvement (such as the National Prevention Strategy Framework and the new draft rules for Accountable Care Organzations). Even in this time of fiscal restraint, resources are being devoted to local efforts such as the CDC Community Transformation Grants, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s MATCH Community Grants Program, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim expansion to regional strategy, and local efforts too numerous to list.
On the other hand, health care expenditures continue to rise, and federal and state budget cuts threaten resources for key drivers of population health such as education, employment, food security, and social support. In the May 11 JAMA, Steve Woolf aptly wrote that “too often policy makers and the public fail to recognize the connection between social and health policies, and this seems again to be true as proponents and critics of current budget reform wage their debates.” I must admit to occasional pessimism when I look at the maps of health outcomes and disparities across the United States and realize the immense budgetary gaps in public health, schools, economic prosperity and early childhood programs that have created disparities that will take generations to reverse.
Here on the blog, we strive to illuminate population health issues with insights and commentary on a range of topics. We’re adding new voices and new styles of posts, including our new Eye on Population Health series. In the coming months I’ll be writing about policies and incentives to move the metrics, and we’ll be revising and adding to our sidebar materials.
I started this blog last year with the idea that this type of forum was both needed and wanted. As we head into our second year, I am still convinced of the need and more confident of the potential. I am committed to leading and shaping this blog as a positive – and hopefully growing – force for advancing the field of population health. And, as always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.
David A. Kindig, MD, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Population Health Sciences and Emeritus Vice-Chancellor for Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
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