Using Healthcare Data to Drive Greater Health Equity

Many healthcare players say they want to advance health equity, focus on underserved communities and address social determinants of health (SDoH), but how actually make a difference?

In their defense, getting SDoH right is not simple. Multiple factors such as economic stability, education, neighborhood characteristics, availability of healthcare services and access to healthy food add up to the whole picture needed to treat the whole person.

The white paper “Closing the health equity gap: A data solution for addressing SDOH along the patient journey” takes a deep dive into the challenges and offers solutions.

The key to achieving these goals and improving health equity is identifying barriers to health and predictors of poor health outcomes in a way that enables targeted action to make a difference, one patient at a time. The white paper highlights some initiatives already showing promise.

Social Determinants of Health Data to the Rescue

Organizations that devise their own SDoH initiatives can be successful, but the likelihood of being effective improves when strategies are guided by evidence-based, robust data. But how can one hospital, health system, provider group or health plan collect and interpret all the data on behavioral, social, environmental and economic forces that form individual and community health and wellbeing?

The white paper explains how a different type of data can help. Detailed information on socioeconomics, family caregiver status, social interactions, consumer habits and social media use are all important to targeting SDoH interventions. To get a good overall picture, healthcare stakeholders need to think beyond a single source and access data beyond their four walls.

Disease prevention may ultimately be the most powerful argument for data driven SDoH interventions. It is easier to move the needle for a rising-risk individual than for a high-risk individual. By the time health is very poor, it is a lot harder to change.

More than Health Issues The white paper highlights the many non-medical issues that also can play a role in exacerbating SDoH issues for people with chronic conditions and specifically diabetes, including:

• Neighborhood characteristics
• Hospital and emergency department care
• Food insecurity
• Health literacy
• Transportation

Social Determinants of Health Examples

Despite all these challenges linked to SDoH and diabetes, there are early signs of success. Find out how one project looks to save between $8,000 and $12,000 on diabetes care for every one-point reduction in HbA1C they achieve, for example.

Also learn what the Housing and Urban Development did to help some women living with children in high-poverty areas and the health benefits they gained after relocating.

To learn more strategies for success, download the LexisNexis Risk Solutions white paper “Closing the health equity gap: A data solution for addressing SDOH along the patient journey.”