Population Health Under Obamacare

Blue-Ribbon Panel 

Over the past several decades a patchwork of “Public Health” systems and private health care providers has been developed to address the country’s poor health status and burgeoning costs. In its present form this system cannot effectively address such great challenges. But now there is a new process, “Population Health,” that underlies the Affordable Care Act and has ramifications that affect all of us – the general public, health care providers, insurance carriers, small and large employers.  Population Health will employ the compilation and use of data to help ensure best practices, support those providing it, and contain costs.  “Obamacare,” using the population health concept, at its best aims to improve the nation’s health status by using health care provider accountability, outcome measures, and “pay for performance” contracts while using funds optimally. Hospitals all over New England have started to make structural changes and new alignments to prepare for this. A blue-ribbon panel of health care leaders will have a public discussion of Population Health and its ramifications into 2014 and forward.

The panelists include hospital, state and association leaders:

• · Robin Lunge, Director, Health Care Reform for State of Vermont
• · Bea Grause, RN, JD, President & CEO, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems,
• · Tom Dee, President & CEO, Southwestern Vermont Health Care
• · Yvonne Goldsberry, PhD, Vice President of Population Health and Clinical Integration, Cheshire Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Keene, New Hampshire

Yvonne Goldsberry will begin the discussion on the scope of Population Health. The Dartmouth hospital system has been engaged for 5+ years in the Medicare pilot program. In Vermont, an innovative approach is being undertaken with the Green Mt Care Board.  Topics to be covered include: improving health “outcomes;” pay for performance contracts; what is an “accountable care organization;” and the role of electronic health records. There will also be a question and answer period.

Craig Miskovich, long-time HCA faculty instructor on legal issues in healthcare and legal adviser to health care organizations in VT and NH, will moderate the panel.

The event is sponsored by our Master of Science in Management – Health Care Administration program, and is provided free of charge as a public service.