We define “Health” as a term inclusive of within- and between-group differences among molecular, cellular and organ systems, physical and neuropsychological development, person-level behavior, functional status and interactions related to family, community and societal systems.

Unfortunately, in our current systems of care, the concept of “health” varies depending on its locus within the healthcare ecosystem, resulting in diverse and contextually specific definitions and use cases, including but not limited to condition-based clinical strategies, operational management of care delivery systems, research models, payment systems and cost/resource management strategies. As such, definitions appropriate and relevant for one context or use case may be inappropriate for, and may in fact conflict with, another.

The lack of a unified and universally accepted framework for understanding and defining the spectrum of health status may also have had unintended consequences on the design and operation of systems of care planning and care delivery, and potentially adverse effects on access, experience and quality of care, as well as models of research and innovation. Union in Action seeks to desegregate all determinants of health, expand the definition of healthcare to be more inclusive and create a truly integrated clinical operating model that supports a ‘single source of truth for the ‘whole person’ across all members of their health resource-community.