Temple Establishes Institute for Population Health
(Philadelphia, PA) – The Temple University Health System (TUHS) has established an Institute for Population Health, which will further solidify Temple’s commitment to developing innovative programs to enhance the health of individuals and populations, while increasing healthcare quality and lowering its cost.
Dr. Paula Stillman, Vice President of Health Care Services for TUHS, will serve as Director of the Institute. Steven R. Carson, RN, BSN, MHA, Vice President of Clinical Integration for TUHS, will serve as Associate Director. They will both report to Dr. Verdi DiSesa, Chief Operating Officer of Temple University Health System.
“The Institute for Population Health is an important component of Temple’s ongoing focus on improving the health of urban populations in North Philadelphia and across the city,” said Dr. Stillman. “Temple has already undertaken several initiatives and pilot projects with this in mind, and the Institute will be crucial in helping us accomplish our goal of engaging patients and their physicians in programs that will improve health outcomes at a lower cost.”
Population Health is the basis for several programs that already exist at Temple, including Temple’s Community Health Worker Program. TUHS is taking a leadership role in Philadelphia and the nation in developing and providing a comprehensive training program for Community Health Workers. Those workers serve as liaisons between patients and their primary-care physicians in an effort to improve patient compliance, and reduce preventable hospital readmission rates and unnecessary emergency department visits.
The Institute for Population Health will collaborate with primary care practices, Federally Qualified Health Clinics, City Health Clinics, and other resources to assure timely, complete and accurate communication when patients are seen in Temple’s Emergency Department or admitted to the hospital. The Institute will establish relationships with acute rehabilitation units, sub-acute nursing facilities, community hospitals, nursing home and long term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) to facilitate vertical integration of care. The Institute also has been invited to collaborate with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to develop a planning grant for a strategy to provide optimal, quality- and cost-effective care that will enhance the health of its citizens.