Population Health Solutions and Your Benefits Strategy

Population Health Solutions and Your Benefits Strategy

Population health management is used to improve clinical outcomes of a defined group of people, such as your workforce. When handled properly, it’s also a way to reduce the amount your organization spends on healthcare costs. In that context, let’s discuss the importance of integrating population health solutions into your benefits strategy.

What is Population Health Management?

Essentially, population health management is the process of studying and facilitating care — and the delivery of that care — to improve the health of members of a certain population.

Is Population Health Different from Public Health?

Yes. The aim of public health is to use policy recommendations, health education, research, outreach, and other means to preserve and improve community health.

Meanwhile, population health seeks to collect and assess data to inform healthcare improvements. 

How Important is Population Health Management?

Population health management is very important, in terms of pinpointing the risks and concerns a population encounters so that improvements can be made. Once those identifications are made, management can offer tailored care that best suits the population — your workforce — as well as individual members.

What’s the Health Manager’s Role?

Specific responsibilities vary among organizations, but in general, the position of health manager calls for assessment of data associated with the care of people and populations — such as your workforce— with the aim of identifying the need for an improvement plan.

Health management is a growing field — a testament to the growing need for thriving, healthy workforces that don’t break the bank. By 2029, the job outlook for health services managers is expected to increase by a whopping 32 percent.

Can Population Health Management be a Part of Your Benefits Strategy?

Not only can population health management be a part of your strategy — it should. The fact is that healthy employees cost less and produce more. To have the greatest impact, population health solutions should take a holistic approach to employees’ wellbeing. In other words, such solutions should encompass not just physical wellbeing, but emotional and financial as well. That’s in addition to aspects such as purpose and community.

Unbeknownst to you, some of your employees surely wrestle privately with wellness challenges like mental illness or substance abuse. The good news is that the proper health management solutions can provide ways for employees to take steps to surmount their problems and become engaged and productive.

Can Mercer Help?

Yes, it can. Through Mercer Health AdvantageSM, the consulting firm can help organizations come up with novel solutions that will improve employees’ wellbeing AND help your company save money. In fact, Mercer can help employers help at-risk employees better manage their care — to savings of $430 each year per employee.

How does Mercer pull that off? It does that with:

— A team of more than 60 wellbeing consultants. These consultants include medical doctors, registered nurses, PhDs, MPHs, and other professionals and experts

— Collaborations with industry think tanks such as HERO, an organization dedicated to identifying and sharing best practices in workplace health and wellbeing.

— Support from dedicated teams in areas of health and benefits compliance, innovation, and associated specialty practices.

— Integration of health, wealth, absence, and workforce strategies. Such integration will likely enhance employee performance and lower your healthcare spend.

— Innovation. Mercer’s Center of Health Innovation promotes novel solutions to reduce costs and improve the quality and delivery of personalized healthcare.

Ultimately, a thriving workforce is good for the company’s bottom line. That’s why making population health solutions a part of your benefits strategy is so important. We’ve found that the consultant Mercer has the experience and expertise needed to help your workforce become healthier and more productive and resilient, all of which makes for a better organizational performance.

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