As employers look for ways to improve the health of employees while also controlling health care costs, many have turned to population health management programs to deliver appropriate, coordinated care.
But how can employers determine which programs result in the best care?
NCQA’s Population Health Program Accreditation program demonstrates a shift in focus from a disease-centered approach of care delivery to one that considers the needs of the whole person.
What Is Population Health Program Accreditation?
NCQA Population Health Program Accreditation assesses population health management organizations’ programs on a wide variety of criteria, including how well they incorporate evidence on what works for managing population health.
The program evaluates organizations in six key areas:
- Data Integration: Do organizations have platforms in place to pull key data from multiple sources?
- Population Segmentation: Do organizations conduct risk stratification to properly segment populations?
- Practitioner Support: What types of communications do population health management organizations have with practitioners?
- Population Assessment: Can organizations assess all aspects of a population’s health, including social determinants of health?
- Targeted Intervention: How are interventions targeted to ensure they are appropriate and coordinated for the population?
- Measure and Quality Improvement: How well do organizations measure and improve their population health management programs?
What Does Population Health Program Accreditation Mean for Employers?
As employers seek a partner to help them manage the health of their employee population, an organization with Population Health Program Accreditation has demonstrated that it has implemented best practices, has incorporated evidence into its population health management program structure and has a process for continuous evaluation.
What Should Employers Do?
NCQA will begin accepting applications from population health management organizations in July 2019. Employers can ask organizations if they have started the Accreditation process and when they anticipate becoming NCQA Accredited.
Have a question? NCQA’s Employer Relations Team can help!