Community care: CDI programs’ role in population health initiatives

The fiscal year 2020 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) proposed rule threw gas on the population health fire when it proposed giving social determinants of health (SDOH) codes more weight as complications/comorbid conditions (CC). The final rule threw some water on the pyre, however, and none of the SDOH codes received their proposed weight. That doesn’t mean the proposal won’t come back in 2021. Population health remains a focus for government agencies, and many CDI programs have begun to explore how their efforts can result in improved population healthcare outcomes. Yet although the term “population health” has become a buzzword of late, its meaning can feel nebulous.