Why Should You Invest in Understanding Social Determinants of Health?
What causes two patients of the same age and with the same disease but from different regions to respond differently to a certain treatment? Even if these two patients appeared similar on paper, their lifestyles are very likely to differ- socioeconomic status, gender, race, ethnicity, family structure, and education.
Is SDOH a promise for a better future, or is it just another hype?
Success in the value-based care environment cannot be achieved based solely on clinical insights. According to one study, clinical care accounts for only 20% of the health outcomes of patients, while health behaviors, social and economic factors, and physical environment combined add up to influence the remaining 80% of health outcomes.
Social determinants matter because they can affect the health of the population residing in a particular region for better or for worse. Trying to improve population health armed with only clinical data and not the non-clinical factors, is like investing in a project which cannot generate positive returns.
Although multiple pieces of research demonstrate that social determinants may substantially contribute to a person’s health status and well-being, the major problems are these:
- How do we address these complex challenges?
- Who is the best-positioned stakeholder to do so in a clinical environment?
What is the right way to address these social determinants?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has defined an algorithm to estimate the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) for every census-tract in the US. However, this algorithm is based on a simple summation of the percentile ranks for all SDOHs, which results in an over-estimation of social vulnerability in cases of high positive correlation between multiple SDOHs.
Working with SDOH data requires a more drilled-down approach and the use of predictive analytics to accurately measure the at-risk population and to advance preventive care methods in an ecosystem.
The right approach is to start from a state-level analysis and drill down to the zip code-level. The effects of social determinants vary in accordance with a very small region. There is a high possibility that all the zip codes in a county will have different susceptibility to a particular social determinant.
What new ways can a revolutionary approach to SDOH open for healthcare?
Every social determinant affects the region in its own way and corresponding preventive actions need to be taken in order to overcome the adverse health outcomes of the citizens of that region. For instance, community resources and data needs to be integrated into the care coordination processes to make proper interventions. When providers are able to completely understand the effects of non-clinical factors, they can provide much better care to their patients.
The analysis of social determinants can be applied for multiple use cases such as:
- Identifying the role of behavioral health, social workers and health coaches
- Increasing the efficiency of the care coordination team
- Forging better partnerships with community resources and social improvement funding agencies, and many more.
The road ahead
Though providers have recognized that social factors significantly influence their patients’ health, they are often unaware of their patients' social vulnerabilities and are unable to accept responsibility for managing these issues or providing support to their patients outside of the clinical realm. We are stepping into the age of predicting and preventing diseases instead of curing them. That was the traditional approach. With non-clinical data and resources such as SDOH, we can change the future of US healthcare. All we need is the will to right these wrongs.
To understand how you can activate your clinical and non-clinical interventions and drive an enduring difference in the way you care for your patients, go through our Research on the impacts of social risk on populations, down to a zip code-level.
This blog has originally been authored by Abhinav Shashank.
Corporate Director, Former EVP & Chief Consumer Officer Novant Health, Former Bank of America Executive,| Bettering Communities| Leading With Purpose
5yThank you for sharing, Sandeep. As you mention, this thorough approach to SDOH will let healthcare providers pinpoint useful community resources that perhaps are underleveraged.
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer - Innovaccer
5yAbsolutely, Barbara Archer, BSN, DN, RN, ACHE! Social Determinants of Health actually affect the patients' health in ways we cannot even imagine. The research here mentions some really great ways to identifying and addressing these factors- not just on a broad level but drilled-down to the zip code level.
American College of Healthcare Executives - Institute for Healthcare Improvement - Transforming the way Providers, Healthcare Systems, and Payers collaborate on the way to Value-Based Care
5ySDOH is vital in improving patient outcomes along with building an interdisciplinary care management team to improve patient outcomes. It can be done in the world of population health, team is the key with the doctors being the quarterback. Amazing work is happening!
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer - Innovaccer
5yAbsolutely, Darryl Roberts! Understanding the reason to invest in any problem is definitely half the process. However, most people don't know the 'why' behind social determinants. The problem moves further- even if you know why you need to invest, then we don't know the factors which need to be addressed. The paper is about answering all these questions in a sequential format. The why is just one of those multiple questions answered.
Healthcare IT leader/ 30 year IT veteran/ champion for federally qualified health centers
5yWe know why. It’s more of ‘how much’. The ‘why’ is to help us understand the circumstances that affect our patients - things that we might take for granted. Such as telling a pt who has explained their electricity is out to keep their meds refrigerated, or telling a pt who has no food to ‘take this pill with food’ so it doesn’t upset your stomach. So much happens outside the healthcare facility walls that affects this that visit us. Now it’s tying that knowledge into ways to make the quality of their health better.