tors—will be needed to improve inter-and inner-operability The Accountable Care Act (ACA) provides a new opporand analyses of available data sets across different population tunity to reduce the long-standing chasm between population and clinical health care systems of care. health and medical care through the incorporation of big data. We will also need to continue to actively engage and inFrom the perspective of population health, the ACA’s requirecrease the capacity of stakeholders in the use of such data. For ments to go “upstream” in eliminating health disparities and policy makers, data will point to future investments to elimithe environmental and lifestyle antecedents to chronic health nate health disparities. For providers and consumers, data conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disholds promise of contributing to quality health care and outease, offers new horizons to improve the overall health of the comes, as well as patient-centered, shared decision making. public. It also requires a more comprehensive need for careful For informed communities, the availability of linked clinical monitoring and interdigitation of population and clinical data. and population-based data holds promise for a renewed call In this regard, population-level and family-centered health for change. care can play an integral role in more effective health and disease management. Claire Brindis, PhD, is the Caldwell B. Esselstyn Chair in For example, the ACA prioritizes the elimination of perHealth Policy and the director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for verse financial incentives through reducing unnecessary Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francosts, improved quality of care, and avoidance of duplication cisco. of care. This is reflected in the increasing need to reduce unnecessary rehospitalizations that occur as a result of inappropriate “hand-offs” between health systems and the broader community. This requires the incorporation of “wraparound care,” often delivered through a system of family and community support services. If this vision is to be truly fulfilled, Classified Ad it will be particularly important to meet the challenge of increasing inter- and intra-operability of data across health care Medical Practice for Sale. Weight Loss & Aesthetics. Coland community systems of care to assure that patients, and in lects ~$900,000 annually. Highly desirable Central Coast turn populations, are receiving the appropriate levels of care. location. 100% Financing Available (OAC). 800-416-2055. Furthermore, Accountable Care Organizations, which will http://TransitionConsultants.com. increasingly be responsible for diverse panels of clients, will also require linking to support services—many of which traditionally may not have been considered integral to health— such as stable housing, quality of physical environments, and availability of wholesome food, that contribute to health and well-being. Other ACA built-in requirements, specifically the provision of clinical preventive health services withINC. out co-payments and deductibles, also need data systems that help assure system accountability, A REGISTRY & PLACEMENT FIRM as well as population-level data that helps capture the impact of such screening services. Several challenges will need to be resolved if we are to continue to make substantial improveNurse Practitioners ~ Physician Assistants ments in the nation’s health and benefit from actionable intelligence that big data potentially affords. While population health and health care delivery is the most information-intensive and dependent industry, thus far only a small percentage have effectively leveraged the data assets captured in available IT infrastructures. This potential may worsen before it improves, as clinical and population-level data are linked. The bottom line is to be able to convert Locum Tenens ~ Permanent Placement available data sets into the accurate and timely intelligence necessary to drive improved quality V oi c e : 8 0 0 - 9 1 9 - 9 1 4 1 o r 8 0 5 - 6 4 1 - 9 1 4 1 outcomes, safer care, and reductions in cost— FAX : 8 0 5 - 6 4 1 - 9 1 4 3 whether it be at the patient bedside or at the community level. Regulatory, technical, private, tzweig@tracyzweig.com and public political and financial investments— w w w. t r a c y z w e i g . c o m a shared responsibility among multiple sec-
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