Telehealth is defined as the exchange of medical information through electronic communication to improve a patient’s health.¹ Although often used interchangeably with “telemedicine,” telehealth encompasses a broader array of services and activities. Telemedicine solely describes the use of telecommunication to provide health care directly to a patient, while telehealth includes talking to a doctor live via phone or video chat, sending/receiving secure messages between providers, and remote monitoring of medical devices. Telehealth is one element of digital health, which is a broader term that includes “disruptive technologies that provide digital and objective data accessible to both caregivers and patients.”² Examples of technologies that provide digital data include wearable devices and mobile health technologies.

Empanelment is the process of assigning patients to primary care providers (PCPs) and care teams within a value-based payment model such as a Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) or Accountable Care Organization (ACO).¹ Patient and family preference may be considered during the assignment as patients continue to visit their PCP or care team for wellness visits.¹ The PCP leads the team and works collaboratively with all members.¹

Empanelment is the basis of population health management because it removes the focus from those who attend office visits. The PCMH accepts responsibility for the entire panel of patients and works to improve outcomes for all.

According to CDC, SDOH are “conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life-risks [sic] and outcomes.”¹ These factors can impact patient access to and understanding of health care. They may also impact the extent to which a patient or population is able to engage in their health care and healthy living.

Public health is defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals”.¹ Health determinants (the personal, economic, social and environmental factors that affect health) can play a role in public health due to certain populations potentially being more predisposed to particular conditions due to genetics, health behaviors, social or societal characteristics, and availability and quality of health services or medical care.² The aims of public health are prevention and health promotion. Prevention is aimed at reducing the risk of disease, such as modifying risk factors, using screenings to find disease in its early stages, and immunizations, while health promotion is directed at modifying behaviors of individuals at risk.

Population Health refers to the outcomes of a group of individuals with similar characteristics—including the distribution of such outcomes within the group—and the role of health determinants. These health determinants can include medical care, public health, social environment, genetics, and individual behavior.¹ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), population health allows for health care organizations to collaborate and improve outcomes in the community.