title: Redefining Health: The Evolution of Health Ideas from Antiquity to the Era of Value-Based Care.
abstract: The current healthcare system in the United States (US) is characterized by high costs and poor patient outcomes. A value-based healthcare system, centered on providing the highest quality of care for the lowest cost, is the country's chosen solution for its healthcare crisis. As the US transitions to a value-based model, a new definition of health is necessary to clearly define what constitutes a healthy state. However, such a definition is impossible to develop without a proper understanding of what "health" actually means. To truly understand its meaning, one must have a thorough historical understanding of the changes in the concept of health and how it has evolved to reflect the beliefs and scientific understanding of each time period. Thus, this review summarizes the changes in the definition of health over time in order to provide a context for the definition needed today. We then propose a new definition of health that is specifically tailored to providers working in the era of value-based care.
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Ido
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Badash
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Nicole P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.affiliation: Division of Children with Special Needs, Heart of the Ozarks Healthcare Center.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Suraiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Wu
keywords: ancient medicine; defining health; health system; healthcare; hippocrates; information technology; patient centered outcomes; value; value-based care; world health organization