ReThink Health Dynamics

ReThink Health Dynamics

ReThink Health: Simulation models supporting local solutions to a national problem (October 29, 2013)

Presented by Jack Homer, Owner, Homer Consulting

Presentation slides: ReThink Health slides

Description: In this video, Jack Homer presents ReThink Health, a model-based approach to understanding health at the community level that has featured prominently in our last two conferences. The ReThink Health webinar is an opportunity to introduce new people to System Dynamics. If you have friends or colleagues interested in health and health care let them know. It promises to be interesting and informative. This webinar is one of the Big Data, System Dynamics, and XMILE webinar series jointly sponsored by IBM, isee systems, and the OASIS XMILE Technical Committee.

The Official Website

rethinkhealth.org is the official website that covers all information about this project including the latest news, simulators and learning tools, videos, etc.

The Issue You Tackled

Health system reform is a national priority in the U.S., but it is increasingly being pursued through a mosaic of local initiatives.

Concerned leaders in cities, towns, and regions across the country are working within their local health systems to achieve better health, better care, lower cost, and greater equity. Such ambitious ventures are, however hard to plan, unwieldy to manage, and slow to spread. Further progress could occur if diverse stakeholders were better able to play out intervention scenarios, weigh trade-offs, set aside schemes that are unlikely to succeed, and enact strategies that promise the most robust results. Through the Rippel Foundation’s ReThink Health initiative and the ReThink Health Dynamics simulation model, local leaders are learning what it takes to spark and sustain system-wide improvements in their settings.

What You Actually Did

The effective alignment of regional stakeholders who act as stewards of their health system is a critical factor in sustainable system redesign. ReThink Health works closely with regional leaders and cross-sector coalitions to help them develop more active stewardship, effectively engage local community members, build critical relationships, set priorities, identify and pursue more effective strategies, and guide resources into smarter more sustained investments. The ReThink Health team consists of effective coaches, facilitators, networkers, and trainers in engagements with regions that may last a few days or a few years, based on a coalition’s needs.

The Results

Their work with regions helps move groups of independent actors focused on improving health outcomes to more coherent, multi-stakeholder approaches. By building relationships, enhancing system insight, redesigning core elements of the system, and implementing cohesive and well supported strategies, collaborative efforts can accelerate reaching the goals of better health, lower costs, higher quality care, and create more resilient communities.

Related Publications

Did You Know?

ReThink Health Dynamics Model Blog and Use Cases

“Did you know there is a blog devoted to lessons of the ReThink Health Dynamics Model, plus descriptions of how the model has been used with health leaders in several local places around the US?”