Module 1 Population Health Discussion

For Module 1 Population Health Discussion In your response posts, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the factors discussed by your classmates.———-200 WORDS PER POST————–

POST #1————-Working as a Primary Care Physician Assistant in an underserved and disadvantaged community places me in the unique position to influence all three key components of population health. Although some health determinants are outside an individual’s control such as genetic predisposition or an unsafe environment, I help my patients control what they can by devoting much of my time to providing thorough patient education and counseling and promoting healthy behavior change to reduce the risk of lifestyle-related disease (Nash et al., 2016). I do my best to provide high-quality and culturally competent care to limit any potential barriers. In addition to assisting my patients in improving determinants of health, I focus on preventative care by administering appropriate screening exams and vaccinations which improves health outcomes (Nash et al., 2016). I also play a role in effecting policy change by identifying the health needs and factors influencing health determinants of the community and advocating for better policies and resources (American Academy of Family Physicians [AAFP], 2020). By collaborating with local partners and health agencies, I am better able to advance the shared goals of the community (AAFP, 2020).

Population health is the comprehensive approach to healthcare that must be implemented to meet our nation’s healthcare goals of improving health outcomes, providing higher quality healthcare, and decreasing healthcare costs (Nash et al., 2016). Although I agree with the population health paradigm and believe it may be the only viable method of reaching our healthcare goals, I foresee many challenges in the application. A complete restructuring of our current care delivery system and payment structure will be required including infrastructure, workforce, funding, health information technologies, healthcare provider education and training, and healthcare research (Nash et al., 2016). Currently, only 3% of the U.S. healthcare budget is spent on health promotion and prevention which must change if we plan to shift away from the sick-care model and properly address health disparities (Nash et al., 2016). Population health also requires patients to be actively involved in their care so finding ways to engage patients and addressing any barriers is essential to improving health outcomes (Bresnick, 2017).

Module 1 Population Health Discussion: References

American Academy of Family Physicians. (2020, December). Integration of primary care and public health (position paper). https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/integration-primary-care.htmlLinks to an external site.

Bresnick, J. (2017, July 24). Top 10 challenges of population health management. Health IT Analytics. https://healthitanalytics.com/news/top-10-challenges-of-population-health-management#:~:text=Barriers%20may%20include%20a%20lack,to%20pay%20for%20expensive%20servicesLinks to an external site..

Nash, D. B., Fabius, R. J., Skoufalos, A., Clarke, J. L., & Horowitz, M. R. (2016). Population health:

Creating a culture of wellness (2nd ed.). Jones and Bartlett.

———-POST #2———–Population health is defined as the outcome of a group of individuals including the distribution of outcomes within the group (Kindig & Stoddart, 2003). Population health can be further broken down from general populations to sub-populations that try to understand smaller groups of people.

My current role as flight attendant for a major U.S. airline involves working on special assignments with our health, safety, security, and wellness departments. My role is to promote risk reduction behaviors and analyze injury reports to better understand what led to injury and reduce the rate of occurrence while reducing injury costs/claims. When looking at population health components, my role relies on population engagement and integration along with decision-making that helps drive change and safer results in the workplace. Working with and listening to employees aids in the understanding of issues that are present in the workplace which in turn, provides information to make appropriate changes. This role is a lot like making small assessments and observations on the population and working to drive change and improve injury outcomes.

Two major factors that I face in my role is accurate safety reporting by employees and external factors that cannot always be controlled. When it comes to safety reporting in the airline industry, it is heavily monitored by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. Though the airline has many types of reporting methods and a record of having a just culture, reporting can be skewed, misrepresented, or not reported due to fear of punitive action. According to Renton & Master, reporting challenges typically occur due to fear of repercussion and workplace culture (2016). Other factors that challenge my role are factors that cannot always be controlled such as human error and environmental obstacles such as turbulence which can cause injury.

Overall, my role in population health within my organization is based on the safety and security of employees and utilizing public health methodology to reduce risk and aid in the wellbeing of employees. Many avoidable and unavoidable challenges are always present, but with proper safety and risk management, improvements can be made.

References

Kindig, D., & Stoddart, G. (2003, March). What Is Population Health? American Journal of Public Health, 93(3), 380–383. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.93.3.380

Renton, T., & Master, S. (2016, October). The complexity of patient safety reporting systems in UK dentistry. British Dental Journal, 221(8), 517–524. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2016.782—————
POST #3————-Population health uses an outcome-driven approach to manage a specific group of people and this involves tracking and measuring their health status such as blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol (Maraccini et al., 2017). Population health is important because it helps to keep track of diseases and health departments can intervene faster when a threat occurs, or new onset of disease occurs. Population health also helps physicians address some of the shortcoming in the U.S. health care system and a significant amount of money is spent on health care in the U.S. than other countries (Murphy, 2020).

I am a medical office coordinator. I am mostly in charge of the administrative side and make sure the polices of the health care system that I work for, are followed by my staff. My organization also communicates a lot with the local health care department, and we share information about new diseases and unidentified patient information about STDs, flu, and covid cases. By sharing information with the health care department, we are ale to keep our community safe and decrease the risks of illnesses especially during flu season time. It does sometimes get difficult to reach patients about their test results especially when the patient needs to get treatment.
We have several clinics, and we would only see minor symptoms such as sinus, urinary tract infection, earaches, and more. Recently, we implemented an option where patients are able to get free blood pressure checks whenever they like. This helps patients keep track of their blood pressure and see a doctor when needed.

References:
Maraccini, A., Galiatsatos, P., Harper, M., & Slonim, A. (2017, June 13). Creating Clarity: Distinguishing Between Community and Population Health. AJMC. https://www.ajmc.com/view/creating-clarity-distinguishing-between-community-and-population-healthLinks to an external site.

Links to an external site.Murphy, B. (2020, January 10). What is meant by population health—and why it matters. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/population-care/what-meant-population-health-and-why-it-matters#:~:text=Population%20health%20allows%20physicians%20to

ANSWER

Post 1

Population health is influenced by a number of factors that influence the quality of healthcare, health outcomes and healthcare costs. I agree with the post that improving population health requires a complete restructure of the current healthcare delivery system and payment structure which includes workforce, infrastructure, workforce, health information, health provider education, health information technologies and training. Considerably, working as a primary care physician assistance in a disadvantaged and underserved community places one in a unique position to impact major components of population health. For instance, a primary care physician assistant is required to offer culturally competent and high quality care that limits any potential barriers in population health. Administration of appropriate screening exams and vaccinations also improves the health outcomes (Abdelhak, Grostick & Hanken, 2014). Policy change has also played a role in influencing policy change through identification of healthcare needs and factors that influence health determinants of the community as well as advocacy for better resources and policies.

Post 2

I agree with the post that accurate safety reporting, environmental obstacles and human error also present challenges in risk management, proper safety and improvements. For instance, outbreaks of disease can have a devastating impact on a population. In order to prevent or mitigate the effects of an outbreak, it is important to have accurate reporting of its incidence. However, due to under-reporting and misclassification, the accuracy of safety reporting is often unclear. This can lead to decisions about public health interventions that are not evidence-based, which can in turn have serious implications for population health. In order to improve the accuracy of safety reporting, it is important to understand the factors that influence it. This includes understanding the motivations of those who report cases of disease, as well as the methods used to collect and classify data (Mosadeghrad, 2014). There is a clear relationship between the accuracy of safety reports and population health. When safety reports are accurate, it allows for better decision making when it comes to public health. This, in turn, leads to improved population health. Environmental obstacles, can make it difficult for people to stay safe. Human error is also a major factor, as people can sometimes make mistakes that lead to accidents.

Post 3

I agree with the post that population health relies on outcome driven approach in the management of specific group of people which involves measuring and tracking health status. Accurate information sharing plays a major role in improving health outcomes, maintaining community safety and decreasing the risks of illness (Wager, Lee & Glaser, 2021). Today, we have access to more information than ever before. This includes an abundance of data on safety and health. When it comes to population health, accurate reporting of safety data is crucial in order to make informed decisions that can improve outcomes. Considerably, the accuracy of safety reporting can influence population health.

There are many factors that can affect the accuracy of safety reporting, including the type of data collected, how it is collected, and who is responsible for collecting it. In addition, different countries have different standards for safety reporting, which can make comparisons between populations difficult. Despite these challenges, accurate safety reporting is essential for understanding and improving population health. There are a number of ways to improve the accuracy of safety reporting. One way is to use standardized measures to collect data. This will ensure that data can be accurately compared between different populations. In addition, it is important to train those who are responsible for collecting safety data to do so accurately. This will help to ensure that the data is of high quality.

References

Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S., & Hanken, M. A. (2014). Health information-e-book: Management of a strategic resource. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International journal of health policy and management, 3(2), 77.

Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2021). Health care information systems: a practical approach for health care management. John Wiley & Sons.