Thursday Feb 23, 2023

Social determinants of health, Part 1

“In the long run, housing may be more important to health than hospitals.” This surprising quote points out the fact that only 20 percent of the nation’s health is the result of clinical care. Social determinants of health (SDOH), the conditions in which individuals are born and live, drive over 50 percent of a patient’s health. SDOH include circumstances such as socioeconomic status and physical environment. Addressing these factors improves crucial patient outcomes, and on this episode, we’ll discuss how documenting and reporting SDOH can help a clinical practice or organization address these factors.

Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Senior Principal, Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient

Guests:
Rachel Mack, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CCS, CRC
Consulting Director, Clinical Documentation Improvement
Vizient

Connie Ryan, MBA, RN, CDIP
Consulting Director, Clinical Documentation Improvement
Vizient

Show Notes:

[02:04] Inequities existing in health care

[02:55] Example of care inequity – a lack of specialized care due to location

[04:18] “In the long run, housing may be more important to health than hospitals.”

[04:35] Over 50 percent of the nation’s health due to SDOH

[05:23] A formal definition and how coding can make an impact

[07:00] Not a new concept

[08:05] Social inequities affect care inequities

[08:50] Need for clinical documentation integrity in addressing SDOH