Abstract
Health care has evolved and now requires a more collaborative interdisciplinary approach to effectively manage care in all areas of people's lives. This was the overarching sentiment expressed by health care leaders attending a discussion we had the privilege of hosting at the Population Health Colloquium, a gathering sponsored by the Jefferson College of Population Health and the Population Health Alliance. Thought leaders from a variety of fields attending the colloquium joined the discussion, which ranged from the future of medical education and value-based care to how to build a stronger health ecosystem.
Three key themes emerged: Collaboration: Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to improve the health of the communities we serve, and should be central to health professional education and training. Data: The collection, sharing, analysis, and implementation of data are critical to health care evolution. Social Needs: Health cannot be achieved without addressing patients' social needs and realizing the health disparities in our communities.
Collaboration
A single clinician cannot adequately meet all the health needs of a patient. As the health care industry moves from fee-for-service to value-based payment, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration becomes increasingly evident. New value-based payment models reimburse comprehensive, coordinated care that improves whole-person health. The interdisciplinary collaboration required to practice value-based care necessitates interdisciplinary education and training.
The University of Houston and Humana have developed a multisector partnership to advance health professions education through interdisciplinary training of health care leaders with a focus on improving population health and health outcomes and expanding the use of value-based payment models. Together, the 2 organizations have established the Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute at the University of Houston. The Institute is housed within the university's new College of Medicine, and encompasses the existing colleges of Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, and Social Work.
The strategic collaboration is designed to prepare students for interdisciplinary practice through advanced interprofessional education models that offer cooperative learning environments focused on community health. Exposing students to health care outside of the traditional clinical setting will allow them to identify and address problems cooperatively as they would in the field.
Data
Data is playing an integral role in the evolution of health care and medical education. Physicians and other health professionals need to be immersed in data so that the interpretation and eventual implementation of data-driven strategies and practices become facile. Ubiquitous access to payor, government, financial, and social data will all need to be part of the medical record going forward. It is through the integration of these disparate data streams that we will begin to develop clinical models that can be used to help facilitate whole-person health and predictive modeling that will enable physicians and clinicians to bring the power of big data into their practices.
Social Needs
We know that health is mostly defined by social, environmental, and behavioral factors, which affect segments of the population disproportionately. Access to basic physiological and safety needs such as food and affordable housing are known barriers to health and well-being, so why don't we incorporate these factors into our clinical decision making? We can't expect patients to be compliant with their treatment plan unless we understand and address their social needs. It is our responsibility as clinicians, educators, and stewards of health to help bring social determinants of health to the forefront; this means considering social needs, such as loneliness, social isolation, and food insecurity, when treating the physical health of patients.
Health care advancement will require nontraditional multisector partnerships and well-trained interdisciplinary teams prepared to use data-driven strategies to address patients' clinical, social, environmental, and behavioral health needs. Such an evolution takes time and participation from all stakeholders.
Our discussion at the Population Health Colloquium was an important part of health care advancement. It validated the need to move upstream and bring together the many players throughout the industry to advance medical education through an interdisciplinary approach to training health care professionals. We are committed to that approach and to making that training available in Houston, throughout Texas, and beyond.
Address correspondence to:
Jess Dobbins, DrPH, MA
Humana Inc.
Office of the Chief Medical Officer
500 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
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