Taconic Education and Research Fund, Inc.

New York has incorporated population health into several major health care initiatives, including the Prevention Agenda, Medicaid Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, and State Innovation Models (SIM) initiative.

But population health means different things to different stakeholders. Government and public health officials are likely to view population health as the health outcomes of all people within their jurisdiction. Health plans, including Medicaid and Medicare, are likely to think about their own members’ health outcomes, whereas provider organizations are more likely to focus on their own patient panels. These disparate definitions necessitate careful coordination, or else interventions and funding streams will be at risk of duplicating efforts and wasting resources. In 2015, NYHealth awarded Taconic Education and Research Fund, Inc., as fiscal sponsor to Lake Fleet Consulting, LLC (Lake Fleet), a grant to assess New York’s funding streams for population health and map out how those funds are being allocated within communities and organizations across the State.

Under this grant, Lake Fleet assembled and analyzed data on the current scope of the State’s population health funding. Specifically, this assessment allowed policymakers and other stakeholders to see where there are opportunities to maximize the State’s investment in population health through recommendations made in a final report. Lake Fleet conducted interviews with key thought leaders to inform data gathering and analysis on the implementation of population health programs at the State and regional levels. Lake Fleet produced a white paper for stakeholders on findings, critiques, and recommendations for maximizing State resources, including how to monitor allocation of population health grants, reduce overlap, and foster collaboration.

Read the report: “Strategic Assessment of New York State’s Regional Population Health Investments“