Kansas hospitals are an integral part of the health care system and are essential to vibrant communities across our state. While hospitals provide care 24 hours per day, every day of the year, they also are increasingly focused on improving the health of their communities beyond the hospitals’ walls. This issue brief, Kansas Hospitals and Health Systems Engaging in Population Health: Findings from the 2023 Population Health Survey of Kansas Hospitals, summarizes results of a recent survey of Kansas hospitals to measure and describe population health efforts of hospitals.
Key Points
- Almost 9 in 10 (86.9 percent) respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their hospital should focus on addressing the health of their community beyond their patient population.
- More than half (58.4 percent) of respondents agreed that their hospital should address health-related social needs (e.g., housing, transportation, poverty, education) within their community.
- Respondents are most aware of community needs related to access to health care (94.1 percent) and transportation (94.1 percent).
- More than 85 percent of respondents were aware of community needs related to access to child care, physical activities, employment opportunities, healthy food and housing.
- Increasing access to health care was the main area (89.3 percent) in which respondents implemented population health efforts.
- Employment opportunities (71.4 percent) and access to physical activities (66.7 percent) were the second and third most-selected areas in which respondents had implemented population health efforts.
- Most respondents (78.6 percent) considered health equity during planning and while implementing population health activities.