DPS Health has gone in a new direction in population health strategies by focusing on the emergent-risk population.
DPS said that after eight years of collecting data-driven insights from clinical research and co-innovation partnerships it will focus on a third group, instead of the healthy and the very sick.
The emergent risk population is comprised of patients with early-stage chronic conditions this population is facing health risks that if left unmanaged could turn into a lifetime of compounding conditions compounding impacts on quality of life and compounding costs of care.
Adam Kaufman, DPS Health chief executive officer (CEO), said: “For many years population health strategies have served the healthy and the very sick. We've now identified the need and opportunity to serve a third group: the emergent-risk population. DPS Health is the first organization to address this challenge by focusing our research and innovation on both the clinical risk to patients and the financial risk to healthcare organizations.”
Although familiar with the clinical risk associated with those experiencing early-stage chronic conditions healthcare organizations have yet to quantify the cost. Fewer still have planned for its future impact on the healthcare system.
According to DPS Health's research, without intervention individuals in the emergent-risk population will get sicker, utilize more healthcare services and cost the system an additional $1000 and $3500 per person per year in preventable expenses. With 80 million people in this population that is an additional $80 to $280 billion dollars in yearly healthcare costs.
DPS Health, US, Risk Management, Adam Kaufman
