Evaluation of the Population Health Management Initiative
The Population Health Management Initiative (PHMI) is a unique partnership between Kaiser Permanente, the state of California, the California Primary Care Association, and California Community Health Centers (CHCs). The goal of the PHMI is to help CHCs improve population health and enhance social health practices for the patients they serve. The PHMI is part of a broader set of changes—known as CalAIM—taking place under California Medicaid.
Launched in early 2023, the PHMI is being piloted in 32 CHCs across the state, and provides technical assistance, coaching, funding, and other supports to help CHCs provide whole-person, equitable health care for the populations they serve. The University of Chicago was chosen to lead the three-and-a-half-year PHMI evaluation using a mixed methods design. AIR will support the evaluation by conducting qualitative and survey data collection and analysis, including:
- Focus groups and interviews with CHC patients, providers, staff, and partners responsible for implementing the PHMI; and
- Surveys of CHC patients and CHC providers/staff.
This work will yield critical insights into CHC’s readiness for population health management, patients’ experiences of care, and the perspectives of providers, staff, and implementing partners about the successes and challenges of system transformation.
