It’s no secret that the global healthcare industry is increasingly challenged to reduce costs while still delivering innovative, high-quality care. This transition toward a value-based framework for healthcare delivery and payment is the driving force behind today’s rapidly changing healthcare landscape.

In past columns, I’ve discussed the growing importance of “population health” in the journey toward value.  Population health has been defined many ways by different groups, but is typically focused on managing the health of a defined population by providing the earliest and least costly intervention for each patient at a predictable price with quality guarantees.

There’s been growing consensus that population health is the goal.  What has been unclear is where healthcare delivery organizations across the US are in their journey.  To address this void, my firm partnered with the Jefferson College of Population Health in a survey of healthcare delivery organizations across the US.  This study provides the first in-depth, national look at the pace of transition from fee-for-service to population health models based on fixed payments linked to outcomes.

Our survey results paint a picture of an evolving healthcare delivery landscape, with organizations across the country at different stages of transition to population health.  Here’s a snapshot of what we found.