Community Commitment

Using key metrics, MaineHealth gauges its impact on population health

The board's challenge--what does it mean to improve the health of a population- was a reasonable request given the system's vision of making its communities 'the healthiest in America.' And the board believed that quality in general, and community health in particular, should receive more of its attention. But focusing on community health is not easy, and it raised three difficult questions:

• One health care system seldom serves all the members of a community. While MaineHealth is the state's largest system and its eight hospitals and numerous other facilities and services are spread over 11 of the state's 16 counties, there are several other providers within its service area. Would it be fair to hold MaineHealth accountable for community health if some of it was beyond the system's reach?
• There are no commonly accepted standards of community health that could be measured and tracked. How would the board measure progress?
• Focusing on community health represents a major cultural shift. Most health care providers have necessarily been in the 'fix-it' mode rather than the 'prevent-it' mode, and have not been rewarded for efforts to prevent hospital or office visits. And, frankly, most boards find it easier to talk about financial matters than the softer subjects of quality and community health. How could we change the culture at all levels?