Clinical Nurse Leaders forging the path of population health

Population health is a topic of growing focus when combating the inverse relationship of rising healthcare costs and reduced financial reimbursement based on quality within the realm of healthcare. Despite the many definitions, the overall concept of population health centers on the management of health concerning a group of individuals. The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is one innovative role within the profession of nursing designed to prepare nurses to practice across the continuum of care and manage the health of like populations. This manuscript will explore current practice and resulting outcomes at one medical center that employs the CNL and has allowed the role to focus on the concept of population health. •Clinical Nurse Leader is the newest masters prepared role of nursing in forty years.•Population health is the management of wellbeing for a group of people.•The primary goal of a Clinical Nurse Leader is to improve patient outcomes.•Through care focused in population health advances in health can be accomplished.