The Best of 2011 – and an Invitation to Help Shape IPH in 2012

By David A. Kindig, MD, PhD

I don’t usually make formal New Year’s resolutions, but I do think about the passing of the old year and the opportunities and responsibilities in the new one. In that spirit, I’m devoting this week’s post to some key pieces from our 2011 archives.  Next week, we’ll be looking forward to give a preview of possible topics for 2012. We welcome any and all ideas from readers – this is your chance to help shape Improving Population Health in the coming year! Please just use the comment box below or email me directly.

So whether it’s for the first time -- or for a second look -- I invite you to take a look at some of my favorite posts from 2011.

Achievement vs. Improvement. As the nation prepared for the 2011 release of the County Health Rankings, I suggested a complementary perspective: that we not shy away from the challenges of measuring improvement as well, and should find ways to identify and recognize populations with improving health metrics, regardless of their starting points.

Triple Aim. This concept from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has been growing in influence and acceptance, but much work to date has focused on the double aims of cost and quality. Much more attention needs to be given to the Third Aim of population heath improvement, with appropriate metrics and multi-determinant thinking and policies.  As CMS transitions leadership, I’m counting on the Innovation Center’s Population Health Branch making sure this key concept doesn’t fall off the radar screen.

Disparity Metrics. I believe that we talk a lot about reducing disparities, but rarely commit ourselves to careful measurement and tracking -- nor have we done enough to identify and implement policy approaches that work in this area. This was the focus of a three-post series, in which I suggested the need for a multi domain metric across race, SES, gender, and geography. But rates are not enough when considering disparities -- population burden (including the size of population affected) is also important.

Population Health Policy and Funding. Several posts touched on important developments or opportunities. Community Benefit reform could provide a new and dependable revenue stream; there are wonderful opportunities for synergy with HUD and other Community Development funding particularly in inner city communities; the importance of the growing appreciation of businesses for early childhood programs as health and therefore worker productivity enhancing; and the potential for providing guidance to local community efforts with policy package options tailored to their own outcomes and determinants profiles.

Eye On Population Health. In her monthly community profiles Kirstin has called attention to population health policy and systems change in action. In 2011 she addressed a variety of issues from early childhood education to housing to transportation.

We wish our readers a great start to the New Year! Stay tuned for next week’s post on topics we’re planning to touch on in 2012.

 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. Follow him on twitter: @DAKindig. 

Comments

[Rafa Cofiño]

David, have a great year and congratulations for your fantastic blog. We´ll go on reading you next 12 months.

[Dawn Alley]

I'd love to see you discuss the incorporation of Social Determinants into Healthy People 2020.