Population Health Management

At Novartis, our mission is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. From innovative science and medicine, to research and delivery, it’s this purpose that drives us to advance healthcare every day.

However, we know that medicines are only one part of the solution. Medical care is estimated to account for only roughly 20% of a person’s health outcomes.1 The other 80% is made up of what is called social determinants of health. These are health-related behaviours, socioeconomic factors, and environmental factors that all play a part in the whole health of an individual.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health inequalities in the UK.2 At Novartis, we believe that these inequalities must be addressed as we look to build back our health system and continue to deliver care in a post-COVID-19 world. This is where we believe that Population Health (PH) and Population Health Management (PHM) can play a crucial role.

Chinmay Bhatt

“In light of the healthcare issues and inequalities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe embracing preventive healthcare approaches such as population health (PH) and population health management (PHM) provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to truly revolutionise healthcare. Within the pharmaceutical industry, this is a critical time for us to explore how we can pivot away from simply treating disease to instead identify how we can prevent it in the first place.

At Novartis, we believe no one must wait for an (extra)ordinary life. Through acting together and driving forward proactive and preventive solutions like PHM, we can help realise this vision and deliver healthcare that truly works for everyone.”

Chinmay Bhatt, Managing Director, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK

What is PH and PHM?1

PH is an approach that aims to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities across a whole population. This includes focusing on those wider determinants of health.

PHM is an approach that supports local healthcare partnerships to use data to develop models of proactive, instead of reactive, care. Thus, allowing them to understand local issues and begin to tailor care and solutions to their greatest unmet healthcare needs. These partnerships may involve different parts of the system, including the NHS, local authorities, other government organisations, academia, charities, and industry.

In Conversation with… The UK’s Population Health Management Experts

This is what has inspired our latest ‘In conversation with...’ series. Chaired by media medic and GP, Dr Sarah Jarvis MBE, our Managing Director for the UK, Ireland & Nordics, Chinmay Bhatt, sits alongside an array of PHM experts, including Bevleigh Evans (Head of Population Health Management for NHSE&I), Dr Dan Alton (GP; National PHM Clinical Advisor, NHSE&I; PHM Clinical Lead Berkshire West), and Andi Orlowski (Director of the Health Economics Unit at Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit and Senior Advisor to NHSE&I).

Over the course of five episodes, our panel of experts seek to bring the concept of PHM to life, through real-world insight. We delve into the details of this approach, from the importance of good, rich data, to the indispensable need for a collaborative and partnership-based approach, which sees local systems (including health, social care and public services) working together.

Our experts consider what we can tangibly do to overcome barriers and maximise opportunities, enabling us to meet the goals of the NHS Long Term Plan and improve healthcare outcomes for all.


Episode One: PHM...What is it?

 

 


Episode Two: Big Data, Big Change

 


Episode Three: The importance of partnerships


Episode Four: Challenges and barriers

 


Episode Five: Proactive care for the future 

 

 

Interested in learning more about PH and PHM? Find some useful links and resources below:

References:

  1. NHS England » Population Health and the Population Health Management Programme
  2. NHS England » Action required to tackle health inequalities in latest phase of COVID-19 response and recovery

UK | June 2021 | 130209

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