Gauging efforts to address the social drivers of health

Healthcare leaders have talked extensively in recent years about the importance of tackling social factors that impact health, but it’s not entirely clear which strategies are most successful.

But a virtual panel discussion this week aims to tackle that question. The Physicians Foundation and the Cornell Health Policy Center are presenting a discussion on social drivers of health Wednesday, March 25 from 4-5 p.m. Eastern. (You can register here.)

Dr. Mandy Cohen, former director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, will participate in the discussion. Other participants include Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, former health commissioner of New York City; Dr. Seth Berkowitz, associate professor of medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and William Schpero, assistant professor in the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Dhruv Khullar, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, will moderate the discussion.

Ahead of the discussion, Paul C. Harrington, a board member of The Physicians Foundation, talked with Chief Healthcare Executive® about the program.

“It's going to provide a unique opportunity for physicians across the country to learn from the best and try to sort through how they can manage their business, their busy practices, but also help to address the drivers of health,” Harrington says.

Doctors are increasingly cognizant that their patients’ health is greatly affected by factors beyond their own medical conditions.

“It's becoming more and more widely known that their influences, particularly around the zip code you live in, impact your health,” Harrington says.

Food insecurity, inadequate housing, unsafe communities and a lack of transportation all can affect an individual's health.

“A lot of patients can't even get to the doctor's appointment,” Harrington says. “So I think they're increasingly aware and we're trying to provide them with some tools to help address it.”

Health systems and medical practices are taking steps to try and get a better handle on social drivers affecting their patients. Many providers are surveying patients about their needs, and Harrington says that’s a critical step.

“I think probably the most important thing is identifying the deficiencies in somebody's driver's health,” he says.

Of course, the challenge is then connecting patients with the help they need, and physicians have a full plate managing their patients.

“The most important thing a patient physician has is time,” Harrington says. “And how do you effectively help to coordinate the care by these social service agencies without taking away time dealing with patients’ medical condition?”

At the same time, if providers are surveying patients about their needs, patients are likely assuming that they will be getting some kind of help. Harrington says the panel will discuss ways to help ensure patients get connected to assistance.

Health systems say they’re worried about their ability to tackle some of the problems affecting the health of their communities as Medicaid cuts in the coming years are expected to pose more financial pressures. Harrington says he’s concerned about that as well.

“I think the irony is that addressing the social drivers, we believe, can reduce overall health care costs,” Harrington says. “It’s a preventative technique that helps prevent the condition from worsening, and the patient coming in with a much more serious illness than they would have had if the drivers of health could have been addressed up front.”

“And that's the argument we're going to make, that it's a prospective and preventative strategy. And we hope, you know, states and the federal government will increasingly become aware of the importance of the drivers of health, if you're trying to reduce Medicaid costs,” he adds.