What is Population Health Management and is it here to stay?

Cegedim Healthcare Solutions Head of Business Development, Spencer Noble, was joined by Clinical Advisory Board members Dr Steve Laitner , Dr Helen Davies and Nigel Sloan, CEO and founder of Solis, at a recent panel discussion at the Digital Healthcare Show, ExCeL London.

Population Health Management (PHM) may sound like yet another NHS sound byte that will change with the next government. We see it as more than a sound byte. Whether the name will stay as Population Health Management is hard to say, but if you boil it down, PHM is about using data and stories to identify groups of people who need particular care and support. That has to stay, as we need a more proactive model for the delivery of healthcare using data and analytics to guide us.

It is important that people aren't just 'talking the talk' on PHM, but actually doing something - by identifying people and providing better support to address their needs. The Inequalities Agenda will add momentum to PHM and there really does seem like there is a willingness to adopt this way of working.

There is an increasing body of evidence internationally that healthcare is delivered best within the financial envelope, with better outcomes, if it's done as an integrated system and PHM is the way to deliver that. Now more than ever we need a better healthcare model. The NHS was struggling before Covid but now we have a perfect storm, with long waiting lists, problems with access, and an increasing elderly population. We need this change, fast!

Over the past decade we have seen technology advance in such a way that it has transformed many areas of our lives including banking, shopping social media and holidays. We need that in healthcare too. A massive change is needed and the sentiment is that people feel ready to adopt new ways of working.

The current system is really struggling after the pandemic. It was designed over 40 years ago for a population that looks and feels very different now. The data tells us it is multimorbidity which is currently driving cost and demand. We almost have a pandemic of multimorbidity in this country and the data tells us that those patients have different needs, wants and desires from those patients of 40 years ago, who may have just been single conditioned. We still wrap services around a single condition such as diabetes, hypertension or COPD. Today people have complex needs and we need innovative new ways of intervening, to provide them the services that they need. That is at the heart of PHM.

Calling upon, and working with, an independent population health management advisory board, we have worked with experts in their field to develop a a simple and innovative approach to population health management. Speak with one of our specialists for an exploratory session to uncover your specific requirements, and help you develop a plan to meet your objectives.