Teaching Population Health: Innovations in the integration of the healthcare and public health systems

Population health is a critical concept in healthcare delivery today. Many healthcare administrators are struggling to adapt their organization from fee-for-service to value delivery. Payers and patients expect healthcare leaders to understand how to deliver care under this new model. Health administration programs play a critical role in training future leaders of healthcare organizations to be adaptable and effective in this dynamic environment. The purpose of this research was to: (a) engage current educators of health administration students in a dialogue about the best practices of integrating the healthcare and public health systems; (b) identify the content and pedagogy for population health in the undergraduate and graduate curricula; and (c) discuss exemplar population health curriculum models, available course materials, and curriculum integration options. Authors conducted focus groups of participants attending this educational session at the 2017 annual AUPHA meeting. Qualitative analysis of the focus group discussions was performed and themes identified by a consensus process. Study findings provide validated recommendations for population health in the health administration curriculum. The identification of key content areas and pedagogical approaches serves to inform health educators as they prepare future health administrators to practice in this new era of population health

Pedagogy: How to best teach population health to future healthcare leaders

Our healthcare system is moving from a fee-for-service reimbursement model to one that provides payment for improvements in three areas related to care: quality, coordination, and cost. Healthcare organizations must use a population health approach when delivering care under this new paradigm. Health administration programs play a critical role in training future leaders of healthcare organizations to be adaptable and effective in this dynamic environment. The purpose of this research was to: (1) engage health administration educators in a dialogue about population health and its relevance to healthcare administration education; (2) describe pedagogical methods appropriate for teaching population health skills and abilities needed for successful careers in our healthcare environment; and (3) identify current student learning outcomes that participants can tailor to utilize in their undergraduate and graduate health management courses. Authors conducted focus groups of participants attending this educational session at the 2018 annual AUPHA meeting. Qualitative analysis of the focus group discussions identified themes by a consensus process. Study findings provide validated recommendations for population health in the health administration curriculum. The identification of pedagogical approaches serves to inform educators as they prepare future health administrators to practice in this new era of healthcare delivery

Methods and Tools for Teaching Health Profession Students How to Perform Community Health Needs Assessments

Public health and health administration programs play a critical role in training future health profession leaders to be strategic and efficacious in this current dynamic environment. As the health care system rapidly transitions from a fee-for-service environment to a value-based delivery system, the role of population health management is a critical concept. A key tool for managing the health of populations requires a health system to discern the community’s problems and resources with the intent of developing, implementing, and evaluating strategies to improve the health of those who live there. The purpose of this work was to (1) engage health educators in a dialogue about the best ways to teach students how to perform a community health needs assessment (CHNA) for the improvement of a population’s health; (2) identify key CHNA data sets; and (3) identify current models and tools, course content, and resources appropriate for undergraduate and graduate health courses when teaching the CHNA process. Authors facilitated group work with participants attending an Educational Session at the annual meeting of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. This research provides educators with resources to allow them to teach students about CHNAs and how to utilize them when they work for health care organizations

Defining Population Health: Leveraging advisory board members’ perspectives to identify health administration curriculum content

Current healthcare reform practices are driving the entire healthcare delivery system toward a population health approach. Health administration programs, both undergraduate and graduate, play an important role in training future leaders of healthcare organizations to engage and thrive in this dynamic environment. The purpose of this research was to engage U.S. healthcare leaders in a dialog on population health and to identify essential concepts appropriate for healthcare administration students\u27 education. As advisory board members represent industry leaders who will employ future graduates, their expertise and suggestions help inform programs on both health management competency and skill-development opportunities. Focus groups comprised of advisory board members from five U.S. health administration programs were conducted. Qualitative analysis of the focus group discussions was performed and themes identified by a consensus process. Results showed convergence on five major population health themes. Study findings provide a practitioner-informed definition for population health and validated recommendations for health management curriculum content via a population health perspective. The identification of key topic areas serves to inform program directors and faculty as they develop knowledge content necessary to best prepare future health administrators in this new population health paradigm