Nurse Executive Competencies: Population Health

Health care systems increasingly are identifying strategies and interventions to improve the health of their patients and the communities they serve. Acute, ambulatory and post-acute care organizations are realizing the promotion of health and wellness outside their settings creates improved outcomes. This shift in care delivery focuses on partnerships across the health care settings and addressing specific health needs of particular populations.

Population health management (PHM) programs seeks to improve the health outcomes of entire populations through the effective utilization of patient data and analyzing that data into actionable efforts that lead to improved clinical and financial outcomes. Tantamount to the development, execution, and refinement of PHM programs is leadership from the nurse executive. As an advocate for community health needs and patient populations, the nurse executive serves as an agent of change in this strategic effort.