New York Academy of Medicine

A need for a shift in perspective on health care financing is necessary—the United States spends far more on health care than any other industrialized country, yet better health outcomes continue to lag.

Research has supported that greater focus is needed on disease prevention and health promotion, rather than waiting until people are already sick. New York State has made innovative progress toward improving population health, such as the State Health Innovation Plan and the Population Health Improvement Program, but more work is needed to share effective strategies. In 2015, NYHealth awarded the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) a grant to explore the development of a roundtable in New York State for decision-makers to share lessons and learn strategies to advance population health goals.

Under this grant, NYAM determined that there is a need for a new roundtable to catalyze action in bridging the gap between population health and traditional health care. Specifically, NYAM conducted research on the policy environment promoting the integration of health care and population health activities in New York and nationwide. NYAM also conducted interviews with key stakeholders to assess the existing landscape and the need to move forward with a roundtable. A white paper was produced to summarize NYAM’s research and lay out the key issues and opportunities for advancing a population health agenda, along with a roadmap for establishing the roundtable if deemed necessary.

Read the paper, “Bridging Health Care and Population Health: Payment and Financing Models.”