Research Master in Population Health Management: work in progress

Abstract

Background: Costs of health care are rising, we enter the era of multimorbidity and the patient experiences are more important. With the ageing of the population and increased medical and technical possibilities forecasts show that resources for health care are running out if we organise health care in the fragmented manner the way we used to. What could be a possible solution? One of the solutions is a paradigm shift from volume to value. To prepare the future health care professionals with knowledge and skills for this paradigm shift we develop a new master program course on PHM at the Leiden University Medical School Campus The Hague. We distinguish four kinds of activities in PHM that will be studied in the new master program. First: PHM can be seen as the scientific and practical endeavor to combine principles of clinical epidemiology, biostatistics and public health. Through enhanced data analysis we make predictive models for adverse outcomes. Based on individual risks on outcomes we identify subpopulations with a similar risk profile and offer proactively interventions to these subpopulations. The second part consists of choosing the right intervention. In PHM we distinguish two sets of interventions. First, interventions that address the experience of care of individuals in the population. Second, interventions that address the care gaps in relation to the best practices. Process redesign and panelmanagement are the best known interventions. The third part of PHM is on organization and governance: In order to implement this kind of health care in a population, new organizational entities request new forms of collaboration, governance and financing. The last part consists of the research methodology needed to analyse and evaluate the process and outcomes of this interdisciplinary approach. Through a combination of online education and intensive classroom weeks in the city of The Hague this master program will be eligible for graduates and post graduates from all around the world. Aims/objectives: In this workshop we would like to discuss with the participants: - The content of this new master program. - Various employment possibilities - Collaboration opportunities with other educational and research initiatives. Format: During this workshop we start with a brief introduction of about 20 minutes explaining the background and curriculum of this master program. In 2 rounds of 20 minutes, we discuss in small groups the content of this program. Participants are asked to value the various parts and come up with suggestions for the various topics. Subsequently, in 2 rounds of 20 minutes we discuss the potential collaboration with future employers the collaboration opportunities with other initiatives. Learnings: After this workshop participants have an understanding of this new master program and the collaboration possibilities for future employers and educational institutions.