1. Population Health has the potential to eradicate society’s health inequalities
True healthcare transformation will come when we address the social determinants of health: the social, physical, political and economic factors that influence a person’s health. Experts – such as David Nash, MD, MBA, Dean of the Jefferson College of Public Health – believe, for example, that a person’s zip code is their number one health predictor.
We are already seeing healthcare organizations asking vendors to incorporate social determinants of health risk data into patient records. Looking ahead, technology will enable us to analyze people within a group (e.g. a zip code) and use the data to determine ways to improve their care coordination and delivery and, ultimately, their health.