Temple Center for Population Health

The Temple Center for Population Health (TCPH) pioneers and expands innovative new models of care that serve patients at high medical risk, tackle some of today’s greatest population health challenges, and serve as guides for other health systems nationally, caring for high-risk and medically complex populations.

Patients who are managing complex or chronic medical conditions and challenging economic or social conditions often need support achieving optimal health. They need providers focused on outcomes and coordinated care, assistance navigating healthcare systems and following care plans, and support in accessing the preconditions of health, like stable housing and nutrition.

TCPH brings Temple Health’s clinical, business, and community networks together to address health challenges in a coordinated way, improving outcomes for patients and reducing avoidable healthcare costs. Our innovative programs expand access to care, enhance healthcare quality across all settings, and help patients stay healthy outside of the doctor’s office.

Our work:

• Addresses the social determinants of health.
• Improves outpatient and primary care management of chronic conditions.
• Improves care coordination, risk-stratification, and outcomes tracking across providers and systems.
• Champions value-based care, facilitating both quality improvement and accountable care administration among affiliated providers.
• Partners closely with our community to ensure that our community’s needs inform all of our programs

Housing Smart: Connecting Housing to Health for Improved Outcomes

Our innovative Housing Smart program provides housing and support services for homeless/unhoused patients, leading to improved quality outcomes for Temple patients participating in the pilot initiative:

• 75% fewer ED visits
• 79% fewer inpatient admissions

Read more about this novel program.

The Temple Center for Population Health is led by Steven R. Carson, MHA, BSN, RN, Senior Vice President of Population Health for Temple University Health System. A registered nurse with more than 30 years of hospital, home health, and leadership experience, he has been recognized by Modern Healthcare and the Acenda Institute of Health Innovation for his visionary leadership of Temple’s population health programs. He works with the Population Health team to drive creation of care models and partnerships that demonstrate how large health systems everywhere can work with local stakeholders to improve population health and well-being.

Learn more about our leadership team.

Temple Health’s patient population includes more than 150,000 lives in pay-for-performance, CMS Alternative Payment Programs, shared savings and care management plans. Through effective clinical and community interventions, accountable and high-value care, and integration of data across systems, the Center for Population Health helps to ensure that our patients receive the right care and resources at the right time—reducing the need for higher-level and emergency health services.

We partner with local government, nonprofit, payer and provider organizations to implement innovative quality improvement programs in areas including care transition, chronic disease management, and long-term and palliative care.

The Temple Center for Population Health also collaborates with schools, colleges and centers across Temple University, such as the Center for Urban Bioethics, for many special initiatives impacting our North Philadelphia community.

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