Health plans in the United States are increasingly shifting away from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement toward value-based care (VBC) models, which incent the quality of care as opposed to quantity. Although the promise of high-quality, cost-effective care is alluring, the adoption of and engagement in these programs has proven challenging for both plans and providers…
Social determinants of health were strongly associated with whether or not an individual with heart disease adopted measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to a study that draws attention to health disparities. The study, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 70th Annual Scientific Session, is based on a survey that examined COVID-19…
It has been clear for years that social determinants of health (SDOH) – factors such as education, economic and housing stability, community support, and access to transportation – have a disproportionate impact on health outcomes. Research shows that SDOH accounts for up to 80% of health outcomes, while medical care – which costs the U.S….
Even with significant medical advances and greater access to healthcare, heart disease still remains the leading cause of death globally. While this is cause for concern alone, the risks of heart disease and other chronic illnesses have been amplified due to the impact of the COVID-19 and its links to harmful effects on the cardiovascular…
Identifying and implementing social determinants of health (SDOH) data into the EHR is critical to finding answers to a state’s most significant issues. Once identified, SDOH data helps healthcare providers make social services referrals, but the process for doing so using technology is challenging. “It’s not that physicians have totally ignored social determinants of health,…
Green space, an increasingly recognized social determinant of health, has been linked to lower racial health disparities related to the novel coronavirus, according to researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. These findings offer another view of the racial health disparities seen during the pandemic. Thus far, most investigations into COVID-19 racial health disparities have looked…
The World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source defines social determinants of health as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.” Social determinants of health are an extensive range of factors that exist throughout all aspects of society….
In April 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a report featuring evidence that in the month of March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was not an equal-opportunity killer. Within just a couple of months of COVID-19 emerging in America, it became clear that health disparities were evident in outcomes due to complications from the…
Specialists tend to be valued primarily for their medical expertise, so when a physician takes time to get to know a patient, the doctor is usually praised for having a good bedside manner. But growing evidence shows that knowing about a patient’s life is also crucial to quality of care. For cardiologists, familiarity with those…
The coronavirus pandemic afflicted the US healthcare industry at a time when it was already experiencing rising rates of chronic disease, doctor burnout, and staff shortages—but it especially took a toll on some of the most vulnerable, at- risk communities across the country. Widening health disparities are leading healthcare payers and providers to broaden the…