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The different social determinants of health have different impacts on healthcare quality, utilization, and outcomes, with new Humana data showing that some SDOH are more closely related to poor care quality while others are more closely related to high healthcare utilization.
For other SDOH, like social isolation and limited access to transportation, patients experience both poor care quality and high acute care utilization, the JAMA Network Open report showed.
Understanding the social determinants of health has become a high priority for both healthcare providers and payers. It has become clear that the environments in which people live, work, and play, have an impact on their well-being and health outcomes, but now, stakeholders are working on how to address SDOH.
This latest study looked at which SDOH have the biggest impact on health and well-being, as measured by care quality and acute care utilization, to better determine effective SDOH interventions going forward.
The Humana researchers, in partnership with experts from the University of California San Diego, zeroed in on over 21,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes who answered a health-related social needs (HRSN) survey in 2019.