Resources

There’s a growing awareness among employers, community advocates, and the public health sector that issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) must be addressed in the healthcare ecosystem if we are to implement genuine value-based care (VBC).

The healthcare industry does a lot of things right, but it has struggled to influence the social conditions, behaviors, and daily activities occurring outside medical facilities that directly impact the health and well-being of patients and plan members. By integrating the episodic care and SDOH platforms, providers and payers have both a comprehensive view of the individual and resources that allow them to impact behaviors at the street level.

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. nearly $4 trillion annually – accounts for the balance.

Providers and payers need data to address social determinants of health effectively. But that data is often siloed, unstructured and difficult to use.

If payers and providers could leverage a comprehensive medical and social longitudinal health record (LHR) that includes SDOH data and enables them to connect patients with community support resources, they could reduce healthcare costs while improving lives. Such an approach would make SDOH data securely available to clinicians at the point of care, giving them a holistic view of the patient.