Tackling population health is an immense goal, so provider networks should focus their initial efforts on near-term goals, according to tips published in the most recent issue of the Kurt Salmon Review, the publication of the global management consulting firm Kurt Salmon.
By narrowing its initial focus, these networks and provider partnerships can accomplish small population health successes early on and work through any issues or barriers within a lower-risk, controlled environment.
To focus near-term efforts and build future value, networks should consider the following five steps, as outlined in the Kurt Salmon Review.
1. Define "first opportunities" for care improvement. Opportunities for improvement may include chronic and utilization-based care issues or unnecessary emergency department visits, to name a few.
2. Start with the organization's own lives. The founding organization's employees and dependents should be the first people on whom the network focuses its efforts. To help build value, the network should only direct these individuals to participating physician partners.
3. Concentrate on specific subsets of lives. After taking care of the organization's own lives, the partnership's work should shift to specific subsets of lives where there are opportunities to improve efficiencies in care delivery.
4. Gather proof points on the network's impact. Areas the network may have impacted include waste and duplication and consumer satisfaction.
5. Showcase the network's results. Showcasing the network's results is an important step that can help build the network, gain new business and create confidence among the partners.
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