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Enhancing Health Outcomes Through Social Determinants Awareness

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In a healthcare landscape where leaders aim to enhance individual well-being, it is increasingly vital to consider elements beyond mere clinical metrics. Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) comprise a range of such factors.

Numerous arguments can be made regarding how improved access to health education, affordable medical care, and medications can elevate life quality while lowering healthcare expenses. It is widely recognized that achieving health equity necessitates a focused approach to improving social determinants of health. However, progress hinges on establishing a system that empowers physicians and all relevant stakeholders to pursue this objective.

Addressing SDoH extends beyond conventional healthcare settings, requiring a fresh perspective from physicians and a modern logistical framework within the healthcare sector. The circumstances surrounding individuals—where they are born, grow, live, and work—demand outreach beyond traditional medical practices.

Physicians must collaborate with various sectors and organizations to address issues such as socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood dynamics, physical environments, employment opportunities, social support systems, and healthcare access. Failure to do so may lead to the erosion of independent medical practices, forcing physicians to operate under non-medical leadership directives.

Most Physicians Acknowledge the Importance of SDoH but Lack Resources

A report by McKinsey & Company reveals that 87% of surveyed physicians consider SDoH a high-priority initiative. Yet, merely 27% feel equipped with the necessary resources and personnel to effectively address these determinants.

Interestingly, even among those confident in their ability to address SDoH, many reported feeling less certain about at least one aspect of their capability.

The report also indicates that 70% of the medical community has invested over one million dollars in initiatives related to SDoH, using various funding methods, including donations and grants. Investments cover a range of areas, from transportation and health literacy to childcare support and housing stability.

Physicians' investment choices are often driven by community and patient needs, alongside the feasibility of supporting these initiatives and their own capabilities.

However, it remains uncertain which investment areas yield the most significant impact. Furthermore, the total investment by physicians in SDoH accounts for less than 1% of their overall revenue.

Although 72% of the medical community claims to have sufficient capacity to screen patients for unmet basic needs related to SDoH, there is a clear need for standardized screening processes, analytical tools, and coordinated care frameworks.

Those who conduct screenings also require enhanced support and resource coordination, including integrating SDoH screenings into quality-of-care assessments. They must improve their use of predictive analytics to identify at-risk patients, track SDoH metrics, and partner with vendors to uncover unmet community needs.

The McKinsey survey further shows that only a third of physician practices utilize Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor the effectiveness of their SDoH efforts.

Recent studies have highlighted that healthcare support workers often face unmet basic needs, with nearly 20% experiencing food insecurity. A separate McKinsey survey on workplace health equity found significant unmet primary needs among employees, indicating that those with unmet basic needs are 2.4 times more likely to miss over six days of work, often resulting in a lack of essential healthcare.

While it is crucial to address patients' unmet basic needs, the same attention must also be given to employees. Notably, only 39% of physician practices feel confident about identifying which unmet needs to prioritize for their staff.

The challenge of addressing SDoH and unmet patient and employee needs requires a financial commitment. This entails comprehensive financial evaluations and a clear articulation of the return on investment for SDoH initiatives, which may include improved reimbursement for interventions, enhanced data sharing among stakeholders, and better analytical capabilities to monitor unmet needs and evaluate impact.

The McKinsey report outlines various actionable strategies that physicians and medical practices can adopt to cater to patients' needs based on their SDoH. These strategies involve linking unmet needs to key priorities, structuring for success, gathering data to inform interventions, making informed financial commitments, developing referral and support systems, measuring outcomes, and sharing successes while leading external SDoH initiatives.

Physicians Must Enhance Efforts for Health Equity While Managing Basic Patient Needs

Addressing basic patient needs through SDoH is fundamental to achieving quality healthcare, health equity, and reducing costs. More physicians recognize this importance; however, a significant challenge persists: the extra administrative burden associated with addressing unmet basic needs in addition to their demanding responsibilities.

Achieving health equity and fulfilling social needs essential for healthy living is imperative, but it requires adequate resources and infrastructure.

> The rapid advancement of digital technologies and stringent healthcare policies aimed at attaining health equity have left physicians in a challenging position, burdened with excessive workloads.

> The push for technological solutions, often lacking usability, has contributed to physician burnout.

Physicians must take charge of their technological environments, shifting from a stance of self-reliance to one of collaboration that transcends their specific fields. This transition is crucial for maintaining independent practices, remaining competitive, meeting insurance reimbursement standards, and addressing patients' basic needs linked to SDoH.

Only within a collaborative, transparent, hybrid healthcare ecosystem involving multiple disciplines can physicians effectively meet contemporary healthcare benchmarks. This system is known as the Cyber-Physical-Human System (CPHS).

References

  1. McKinsey & Company. "How Providers Are Meeting Patients’ Basic Needs — and Where They Could Do More." Accessed September 13, 2022. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/how-providers-are-meeting-patients-basic-needs-and-where-they-could-do-more
  2. TABRIZ, D. A. "Is Health Equity Achievable?!. As Healthcare Administrations Worldwide… | by Dr. ADAM TABRIZ | ILLUMINATION | Medium." Medium, July 4, 2022. https://readmedium.com/is-health-equity-achievable-22687c8d8056
  3. TABRIZ, D. A. "The Socioeconomic Impact of the Social Drivers of Health | ILLUMINATION-Curated." Medium, July 15, 2022. https://readmedium.com/the-socioeconomic-impact-of-the-social-drivers-of-health-bb5c389da834
  4. TABRIZ, D. A. "Population Health and Its Current Challenges | by Dr. ADAM TABRIZ | ILLUMINATION | Medium." Medium, September 1, 2021. https://readmedium.com/population-health-and-its-current-challenges-8d1a35efaf3
  5. TABRIZ, D. A. "The Modern-Day Solo Medical Practice Needs More than Just a Technology | DataDrivenInvestor." Medium, August 29, 2021. https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/the-modern-day-solo-medical-practice-needs-more-than-just-a-technology-ed5a23bfcf13
  6. TABRIZ, D. A. "Is Health Equity Achievable?!. As Healthcare Administrations Worldwide… | by Dr. ADAM TABRIZ | ILLUMINATION | Medium." Medium, July 4, 2022. https://readmedium.com/is-health-equity-achievable-22687c8d8056
  7. TABRIZ, D. A. "Patient Engagement Amidst Modern Challenges | ILLUMINATION-Curated." Medium, August 12, 2022. https://readmedium.com/patient-engagement-amidst-modern-challenges-f35349dcfcde
  8. TABRIZ, D. A. "Physician Burnout | DataDrivenInvestor." Medium, August 18, 2020. https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/advanced-technology-combined-with-the-human-touch-can-ease-physician-burnout-6dc2fd25762e

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