Unlocking the power of population health management to strengthen primary health care.

Population health management (PHM) is a people-centred, data-driven and proactive approach to improving the health and well-being of a defined population, considering the differences within that population and their social determinants of health. By using quantitative and qualitative data insights, PHM helps primary care providers identify population cohorts with similar needs or 'at risk' of a given negative outcome/s. This enables primary care providers to address their needs in a targeted, tailored, proactive and holistic way through coordination with other care levels and sectors.

Business intelligence systems for population health management: a scoping review.

Objective: Population health management (PHM) is a promising data-driven approach to address the challenges faced by health care systems worldwide. Although Business Intelligence (BI) systems are known to be relevant for a data-driven approach, the usage for PHM is limited in its elaboration. To explore available scientific publications, a systematic review guided by PRISMA was conducted of mature BI initiatives to investigate their decision contexts and BI capabilities.

Assessing the Strengths and Weaknesses for Implementing a Place-Based Model of Care for Older People on the Central Coast, Australia: Results of a Pilot Project Using the Population Health Management Maturity Index (PHM-MI) Tool.

Introduction: Population health management is increasingly being used to support place-based models of care. This case study provides an account of the use of the Population Health Management - Maturity Index (PHM-MI) tool to inform the future development of a neighbourhood model of care for older people in the Central Coast region of Australia.

Description: The PHM-MI tool comprises a set of six evidence-informed elements known to be important in enabling PHM in practice.

Assembling a population health management maturity index using a Delphi method.

Background: Although local initiatives commonly express a wish to improve population health and wellbeing using a population health management (PHM) approach, implementation is challenging and existing tools have either a narrow focus or lack transparency. This has created demand for practice-oriented guidance concerning the introduction and requirements of PHM.

Methods: Existing knowledge from scientific literature was combined with expert opinion obtained using an adjusted RAND UCLA appropriateness method, which consisted of six Dutch panels in three Delphi rounds, followed by two rounds of validation by an international panel.

Validating and Improving Adjusted Clinical Group's Future Hospitalization and High-Cost Prediction Models for Dutch Primary Care.

The rise in health care costs, caused by older and more complex patient populations, requires Population Health Management approaches including risk stratification. With risk stratification, patients are assigned individual risk scores based on medical records. These patient stratifications focus on future high costs and expensive care utilization such as hospitalization, for which different models exist.

How to successfully implement population health management: a scoping review.

Background: Despite international examples, it is unclear for multisector initiatives which want to sustainably improve the health of a population how to implement Population Health Management (PHM) and where to start. Hence, the main purpose of this research is to explore current literature about the implementation of PHM and organising existing knowledge to better understand what needs to happen on which level to achieve which outcome.

Methods: A scoping review was performed within scientific literature.

The introduction of a data-driven population health management approach in the Netherlands since 2019: The Extramural LUMC Academic Network data infrastructure.

Improving population health and reducing inequalities through better integrated health and social care services is high up on the agenda of policymakers internationally. In recent years, regional cross-domain partnerships have emerged in several countries, which aim to achieve better population health, quality of care and a reduction in the per capita costs. These cross-domain partnerships aim to have a strong data foundation and are committed to continuous learning in which data plays an essential role.

Reforming healthcare in the Netherlands: practical population health management and the Plot model: A questionnaire survey and focus group study to assess the willingness and readiness of six regions in the Netherlands.

Objective: As in many other countries, the Netherlands is facing challenges in the provision of healthcare to its population. To ensure the population remains in good health in coming decades, an integrative approach to the many factors that influence health and health outcomes is needed. Population health management is gaining interest as a strategic framework for systems change in healthcare organisations.

A methodological framework for evaluating transitions in acute care services in the Netherlands to achieve Triple Aim.

Objective: The accessibility of acute care services is currently under pressure, and one way to improve services is better integration. Adequate methodology will be required to provide for a clear and accessible evaluation of the various intervention initiatives. The aim of this paper is to develop and propose a Population Health Management(PHM) methodology framework for evaluation of transitions in acute care services.

Identifying complex patients using Adjusted Clinical Groups risk stratification tool.

Objectives: To produce an efficient and practically implementable method, based on primary care data exclusively, to identify patients with complex care needs who have problems in several health domains and are experiencing a mismatch of care. The Johns Hopkins ACG System was explored as a tool for identification, using its Aggregated Diagnosis Group (ADG) categories.

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study using general practitioners' electronic health records combined with hospital data.

Do we care about high-cost patients? Estimating the savings on health spending by integrated care.

A recent integrated health care initiative in Belgium supports 12 regional pilot projects scattered across the country and representing 21% of the population. As in shared savings programs, part of the estimated savings in health spending are paid out to the projects to reinvest in new actions. Short-term savings are expected in particular from cost reductions among high-cost patients.

The Value of Merging Medical Data from Ambulance Services and General Practice Cooperatives Using Triple Aim Outcomes.

Background: Acute care services are currently overstretched in many high income countries. Overcrowding also plays a major role in acute care in the Netherlands. In a region of the Netherlands, the general practice cooperative (GPC) and ambulance service have begun to integrate their care, and the rapid and complete transfer of information between these two care organisations is now the basis for delivering appropriate care.

A systematic review of risk stratification tools internationally used in primary care settings.

Background And Aims: In our current healthcare situation, burden on healthcare services is increasing, with higher costs and increased utilization. Structured population health management has been developed as an approach to balance quality with increasing costs. This approach identifies sub-populations with comparable health risks, to tailor interventions for those that will benefit the most.

Effect of COVID-19 on health system integration in the Netherlands: a mixed-methods study.

Objectives: Overcrowding in acute care services gives rise to major problems, such as reduced accessibility and delay in treatment. In order to be able to continue providing high-quality health care, it is important that organizations are well integrated at all organizational levels. The objective of this study was to to gain an understanding in which extent cooperation within an urban acute care network in the Netherlands (The Hague) improved because of the COVID-19 crisis.

Assessment of the Adjusted Clinical Groups system in Dutch primary care using electronic health records: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Within the Dutch health care system the focus is shifting from a disease oriented approach to a more population based approach. Since every inhabitant in the Netherlands is registered with one general practice, this offers a unique possibility to perform Population Health Management analyses based on general practitioners' (GP) registries. The Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG) System is an internationally used method for predictive population analyses.

Understanding people who self-referred in an emergency department with primary care problems during office hours: a qualitative interview study at a Daytime General Practice Cooperative in two hospitals in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Objective: To provide insight into the motives for hospital self-referral during office hours and the barriers deterring general practitioner (GP) consultation with a primary care request.

Setting: People who self-referred at a Daytime General Practice Cooperative (GPC) in two hospitals in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Participants: A total of 44 people who self-referred were interviewed in two hospitals.

Do project management and network governance contribute to inter-organisational collaboration in primary care? A mixed methods study.

Background: The need for organisational development in primary care has increased as it is accepted as a means of curbing rising costs and responding to demographic transitions. It is only within such inter-organisational networks that small-scale practices can offer treatment to complex patients and continuity of care. The aim of this paper is to explore, through the experience of professionals and patients, whether, and how, project management and network governance can improve the outcomes of projects which promote inter-organisational collaboration in primary care.

An Approach to measuring Integrated Care within a Maternity Care System: Experiences from the Maternity Care Network Study and the Dutch Birth Centre Study.

Introduction: Integrated care is considered to be a means to reduce costs, improve the quality of care and generate better patient outcomes. At present, little is known about integrated care in maternity care systems. We developed questionnaires to examine integrated care in two different settings, using the taxonomy of the Rainbow Model of Integrated Care.

Typology of birth centres in the Netherlands using the Rainbow model of integrated care: results of the Dutch Birth Centre Study.

Background: The goal of integrated care is to offer a continuum of care that crosses the boundaries of public health, primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Integrated care is increasingly promoted for people with complex needs and has also recently been promoted in maternity care systems to improve the quality of care. Especially when located near an obstetric unit, birth centres are considered to be ideal settings for the realization of integrated care.

Barriers and facilitators influencing self-management among COPD patients: a mixed methods exploration in primary and affiliated specialist care.

Self-management is becoming increasingly important in COPD health care although it remains difficult to embed self-management into routine clinical care. The implementation of self-management is understood as a complex interaction at the level of patient, health care provider (HCP), and health system. Nonetheless there is still a poor understanding of the barriers and effective facilitators.

Value-based integrated (renal) care: setting a development agenda for research and implementation strategies.

Background: Integrated care services are considered a vital strategy for improving the Triple Aim values for people with chronic kidney disease. However, a solid scholarly explanation of how to develop, implement and evaluate such value-based integrated renal care services is limited. The aim of this study was to develop a framework to identify the strategies and outcomes for the implementation of value-based integrated renal care.

Collaboration processes and perceived effectiveness of integrated care projects in primary care: a longitudinal mixed-methods study.

Background: Collaborative partnerships are considered an essential strategy for integrating local disjointed health and social services. Currently, little evidence is available on how integrated care arrangements between professionals and organisations are achieved through the evolution of collaboration processes over time. The first aim was to develop a typology of integrated care projects (ICPs) based on the final degree of integration as perceived by multiple stakeholders.

The Dutch Birth Centre Study: study design of a programmatic evaluation of the effect of birth centre care in the Netherlands.

Background: Birth centres are regarded as settings where women with uncomplicated pregnancies can give birth, assisted by a midwife and a maternity care assistant. In case of (threatening) complications referral to a maternity unit of a hospital is necessary. In the last decade up to 20 different birth centres have been instituted in the Netherlands.