Measuring and Managing Population Health

Health care delivery and health promotion require timely, accurate, and useful information. Nowhere are useful data more needed than population health management. Although mountains of health-related data exist, useful information is often diffuse, poorly organized, and often inaccurate and incomplete, and doesn't serve those providing health care to individual patients, managing care for groups of patients, or promoting health for communities. Information and communication technologies are rapidly evolving to enhance population health management. These tools include electronic health records, health information exchanges, patient portals and personal health records, telemedicine and virtual health tools, the internet and social media, mobile devices, and wearable sensors. We describe each of these emerging health technologies and their future opportunities for enhancing population health.