Oct 24

Oct 24 Policy Brief for Value Based Outdoor Healthcare

Oak Mountain Outdoor Health Care takes an innovative approach to redesigning medical care through launching new ways of thinking.

Environment First, Biology Second

Reframing Health Systems: Environment as the First Determinant of Health

Executive Summary

The prevailing healthcare paradigm treats biology as the foundation of health, prioritizing disease treatment over environmental conditions that produce disease. This model is costly, reactive, and unsustainable. By placing environment first and biology second, healthcare systems can achieve population-level resilience, reduce chronic disease, and align with federal value-based care objectives.

Core Argument

Environmental Health is Population Health: Clean air, green space access, biodiversity, and environmental justice directly influence morbidity and mortality.
Upstream Investment: Every dollar invested in environmental health (urban greening, pollution control, community nature access) yields measurable downstream savings in chronic disease management.
System Integration: Outdoor Healthcare Centers can be incorporated into CMS Innovation Models, serving as preventive care hubs tied to reimbursement metrics.
Equity Lens: Environmental determinants disproportionately affect marginalized populations; an environment-first model closes these gaps by linking ecological integrity to social equity.

Policy Recommendations

Integrate Ecological Metrics into CMS quality measures (e.g., “green exposure index,” “walkability,” “community connectedness”).
Fund Outdoor Healthcare Pilots through HHS innovation grants and NIH research on eco-genomic health.
Align Environmental and Health Infrastructure—prioritize green design in federally funded health facilities.
Establish a National Outdoor Healthcare Service under HHS to unify research, training, and reimbursement pathways.