Population Health and the Future of Healthcare (eBook)

Starting with a working definition, this comprehensive work defines the attributes of the population health model. It clarifies what population health is and is not. It discusses health disparities and the social determinants of health and illness and provides new ways of moving forward towards a more sustainable healthcare model in a changing society, thereby pointing out the importance of multi-sector collaboration for collective impact for community health improvement. The book takes this further by providing sources of data to support the population health model. As such, this book provides a must-read for students and anyone working, teaching or consulting in population healthcare.

Richard K. Thomas, Ph.D., has spent his entire professional career (40+ years) in health services research, marketing, planning, and business development. He is a partner in a Memphis-based consulting firm and is associated with various other research and consulting endeavors. Dr. Thomas provides consultation services to hospitals, physician practices, health plans, and other healthcare organizations in the areas of strategic planning, market research, and business development. He has authored or co-authored twenty books and numerous articles on healthcare. He was an early proponent of 'health demography' and his book (co-authored with Louis Pol) 'The Demography of Health and Health Care' has set the standard for the field. Dr. Thomas is currently on the faculties of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Center for Health Systems Improvement) and Mississippi State University (Social Science Research Center). Dr. Thomas has been awarded numerous government and foundation grants and has managed several NIH grants related to health data management. Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in medical sociology from Vanderbilt University. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) and master's degrees in sociology and geography from the University of Memphis.