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• Data is the bridge between different population views
  Michael A Soljak
  Published on: 18 June 2014

• Published on: 18 June 2014

  Data is the bridge between different population views

  • Michael A Soljak, Clinical Research Fellow

  I read with interest the qualitative interview study by Noble et al[1] on accountable care organisations' (ACOs') perceptions of population health. Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with their suggestion that there is a need to define the terms better, there is also an important quantitative element to these terminologies. Both ACOs and public health agencies-in the UK these are clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local...

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  I read with interest the qualitative interview study by Noble et al[1] on accountable care organisations' (ACOs') perceptions of population health. Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with their suggestion that there is a need to define the terms better, there is also an important quantitative element to these terminologies. Both ACOs and public health agencies-in the UK these are clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities (LAs)- need to define their responsible populations quantitatively and develop the ability to map linked data back and forth between them, to understand their respective influences.

  This is vital to establish meaningful dialogue between them, and to develop the potential synergy between these different views of the data.[2] Dr Noble has already done this in another study where he and his colleagues mapped data from general practice disease registers to produce geospatial maps of resident populations.[3] Building on previous work, we are currently developing for Arthritis Research UK four musculoskeletal (MSK) disease prevalence models which produce estimates at accountable or registered (general practice and CCG) and resident (sub-LA, LA, Electoral Ward and Parliamentary Constituency) levels. This will allow all the agencies able to influence health to understand the size of the problem from their perspective, and to plan what they can do, whether that is increasing physical activity (which is a major risk factor for MSK disease) in a resident population, or referring for joint replacement in an "accountable" one.

  The lack of understanding of the overlapping health needs of these two populations is a handicap for both ACOs and the US healthcare system in general, which has led to the development of elaborate methods to try to understand healthcare utilisation, especially regional variations.[4] The survey by Noble et al should help to develop a better approach in future, but coordinated effort by the agencies involved is also needed.

  References

  1. Noble DJ, Greenhalgh T, Casalino LP. Improving population health one person at a time? Accountable care organisations: perceptions of population health--a qualitative interview study. BMJ Open 2014;4(4). Link: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/4/e004665.abstract.

  2. Soljak M. Dismantling the signposts to public health? No, satnav has arrived. BMJ 2012;344:1. Link: http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e4137.

  3. Noble D, Smith D, Mathur R, Robson J, Greenhalgh T. Feasibility study of geospatial mapping of chronic disease risk to inform public health commissioning. BMJ Open 2012;2(1). Link: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000711.abstract.

  4. Soljak MA, Majeed A. Understanding variation in utilisation: start with health needs. BMJ 2013;346. Link: http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1800?etoc=.

  Conflict of Interest:

  None declared

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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