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…
By all accounts, Covid-19 has amplified the discussion around critical health disparities and inequities that have plagued the United States and its most vulnerable patient populations for generations. The past year has exposed how disease does in fact discriminate, and that socioeconomic challenges exacerbate the symptoms of illness. As a result, the healthcare industry has…
Healthcare organizations recognize the value of SDOH data but simply have no idea where to start. They understand that SDOH factors can improve health outcomes and minimize medical costs, but they often do not fully understand what SDOH data to use to maximize the accuracy of predictive analytics or how to integrate the data into…
On August 11, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center announced the new Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model as part of the President’s recent executive order. The Model is an incredible accomplishment for patients and healthcare providers in rural areas that face social determinants of health (SDOH) challenges,…
Humana is bringing its value-based care know-how together with its aptitude for tackling social determinants among its Medicare Advantage (MA) members. The insurance giant announced it’s launching a new value-based care model to support providers in identifying and addressing several social concerns. The program will cover “enhanced” care coordination for patient screenings, documentation of assessment findings and linking patients to resources….
Despite agreement that the social determinants of health (SDOH) can impact accountable care organization (ACO) success, many see challenges in integrating interventions into practice, according to a new study published in Health Affairs obtained ahead of print by journalists. Specifically, ACOs face challenges in collecting data about patients experiencing key SDOH, creating meaningful community health partnerships, and…
Despite interest in addressing social determinants of health to improve patient outcomes, little progress has been made in integrating social services with medical care. We aimed to understand how health care providers with strong motivation (for example, operating under new payment models) and commitment (for example, early adopters) fared at addressing patients’ social needs. We…