This is the fifth in a series of blog posts that focuses on the evolution of patient journeys since the emergence of COVID-19. This series will take you to understand the changes that affect each step of the patient’s journey and provide strategic suggestions for moving forward. In this blog post, explore how the fifth step-treatment, and the social determinants of health, can help your organization understand patients more fully. To read the full white paper, Download here.
How does a non-discriminatory virus produce such different health care outcomes in different populations?
COVID-19 has exposed population care challenges within the healthcare system. E.g, dthem Consensus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN), blacks, and Hispanics have a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death than whites. The AIAN community is 3.4 times more likely to be hospitalized due to the virus than in other areas.one analyze It shows that health gaps like this result in approximately $93 billion in excess medical expenses and $42 billion in lost productivity each year.
These differences in the health status of different populations are affected by society, are unevenly distributed, and most importantly, are usually avoidable.
Arming clinicians with patient-level “social determinants of health” insights can help
In terms of health outcomes and patient participation, medical service providers can go beyond the direct medical needs of patients and understand non-medical factors that often become obstacles to obtaining good medical care and inhibiting successful treatment. These may affect patients’ social networks, socioeconomic status, cultural and environmental conditions, and their lifestyles from a healthy perspective.They are collectively referred to as Social Sure Health (SDOH), They account for 80% of health outcomes.
Examples of social determinants of health include:
- Access to nutritious food and physical exercise
- Convenient transportation
- Education, job opportunities and income
- House stability
- Language barriers and poor literacy
- Pollution and [lack of] Get clean water
- Racism, discrimination and violence
For example, patients with language impairments may have problems making appointments and understanding the procedures for proper care. This can lead to inconsistent treatment and poor treatment results.
Patient income can also play a role. Some patients may lose their jobs, move houses, lose access to cars, etc.-leading to food insecurity, unstable housing, and no access to care and medication.According to a Gallup The survey shows that 25% of patients postpone treatment because they think it is unaffordable.For healthcare providers, it’s important to develop plans that include touchpoints SDOH update screen. Providers need to actively educate their patients about alternative payment plans and other financial assistance programs to show their patients that care is available through various resources.
The benefits of using digital solutions to address SDOH: reducing health inequalities and increasing patient participation
The study found, Integrate SDOH data Incorporating patients’ electronic health records and care planning considerations provides the potential to improve care and health. Adding these useful data can better understand the social impact of patients, as well as better cooperation between healthcare providers and community services-enabling patients to receive treatment and participation from a holistic perspective.
When the provider considers SDOH and adjusts the patient’s participation in the care plan accordingly, it can alleviate:
- Readmission
- Unnecessary emergency room visits
- Poor quality of care
When hiring a SDOH solution, Providers can use data to develop new strategies for disadvantaged groups. For example, the SDOH study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information during the pandemic showed that School closures exacerbate children’s food insecurity, Which leads to a higher rate of malnutrition. This leads to a reduced immune system response and increases the risk of the spread of infectious diseases. In trying to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate among people living in low-income areas, healthcare providers can use SDOH data to develop methods for easier access to care . Social determinants of health insights about access to care, medication, housing, and food barriers can also proactively identify patients with health inequities.
Understanding the differentiating drivers of individual SDOH profiles can help healthcare plans meet the unique needs of patients—needs that hinder a level playing field for their own health.
Social determinants of health can help providers discover new opportunities
Healthcare providers can also use this data to develop strategies for more effective communication with patients, especially through the patient’s preferred channel. Technical and communication barriers that are usually overlooked should be checked as part of SDOH. For example, patients who prefer direct mail to emails may ignore communications that they do not accept. Meeting with patients where they are and through their preferred channels is essential to establish contact.
Once they understand the patient’s SDOH, the provider can link the patient to relevant outreach or community programs to help remove some of the barriers to the patient’s access to the best care. For example, if a hospital learns that their patient population is more food insecure than at risk of getting care, they can prioritize partnerships with local food banks or meal delivery programs. This allows providers to proactively help their patients comply with their care plan more easily, otherwise, a meal on the table will take precedence over the health check.Integrate SDOH solutions with Patient scheduling softwareProviders can automatically perform active abductions for more and frequent follow-ups to encourage patient participation.
by using Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Insights, Each patient visit becomes an opportunity to verify and resolve non-medical factors that may affect the health of patients and make better use of your organization’s community network. SDOH can help providers build strong patient files to display information that is not visible in clinical data. With Experian Health’s SDOH solution, suppliers can create a reliable profile to determine the patient’s SDOH risk for readmission and provide factors that contribute to these risks. The solution can also provide recommended strategies that care team members can use to adjust appropriate resources and actively focus on their health outcomes.
The healthcare system is designed to help patients who are sick or injured. However, it is best to achieve care equity by also considering non-clinical conditions that affect health. By fully observing patients and combining clinical data with SDOH, providers can identify the unique challenges that patients face, and then tailor care based on the patients’ individual needs.
As providers adapt to life in the shadow of COVID-19 and transcend crisis mode, it becomes more important Use SDOH for patient identity management, with Close the care gap when the virus subsides.
Download the white paper
Missed the other blogs in the series? Go take a look:
- 4 data-driven healthcare marketing strategies to re-engage patients after COVID-19
- How 24/7 self-scheduling can improve the patient experience after the pandemic
- COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for digital patient intake solutions
- Automatic prior authorization: Allow patients to get the approved care they need
Post Comprehensive understanding of patients with healthy social determinants First appeared in Healthcare blog.
