Purchasing population health: paying for results

The fundamental assertion of this book is that population health improvement will not be achieved until appropriate financial incentives are designed for this outcome. This one sentence summarizes the message of David Kindig's book, which directly addresses the current turbulence in health care and the lack of focus on value for all public and private investments to improve health. This proposal for a new health outcome purchasing standard is derived from Dr. Kindig's training as a physician and his experience in public and private health care management. While intended to address the cost, quality, and access goals of the failed federal reform effort of 1994, it envisions using health outcomes as a public- and private-sector purchasing standard for medical care as well as other health-promoting sectors such as education and the environment.