Embracing the complexity of modifiable risk reduction: A registry of modifiable risks for 0-12 month infants

Despite relatively high medical expenditures, the United States performs poorly on population health indicators relative to many other countries. A key step in addressing this situation involves determining impactful and cost-effective interventions for at-risk populations. This requires an understanding of medical, social, behavioral health and safety domains of risk. Of immediate interest are those risks that are modifiable at the individual and family levels and could be reduced through intervention and broader care coordination efforts. Unfortunately, a comprehensive list of such risks does not exist in the published literature. Using multiple interrelated methods, including clinical, social, and care coordination experience, expert elaboration and validation, and reviews of existing assessments and literature, we present what we believe to be the most comprehensive listing of individually modifiable risk factors (IMRFs), relevant to care coordination, available for individuals aged 0-12 months. The list addresses IMRFs within four broad domains of risk (medical, social, behavioral health, and safety). Comprehensive risk registries such as the one presented here can enhance our collective efforts to identify and mitigate risks for specific populations. Such registries can also support research to build understandings of the impact of risks, individually and in interconnected signature combinations. The risk registry presented here and the enhanced understandings flowing from it may yield useful insights for clinicians, social service providers and researchers seeking a whole person approach to care, as well as for payers and policymakers seeking to enable health policy and payment reforms to improve population health.