SDoH & Health Equity in the News
Health Affairs: Advancing Equity Versus Quality In Population-Based Models: Lessons From The New Proposed Rule (7/10) – Authors reviewed CMS’s IPPS rule from a health equity standpoint, focusing on a proposal to significant change to the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program, a longstanding program that compares a hospital’s performance on a set of measures to performance from a full set of hospitals nationwide. Under the proposed change, hospitals serving a greater percentage of dual-eligible patients would receive an equity adjustment that increases their quality performance scores – and in turn, performance scores for the payment program overall.
Fierce Healthcare: Providers rarely screen for maternal mental health. Are new guidelines enough to move the needle? (7/12) – Authors noted a recent survey found that 70% of women say they wish they had known more about postpartum mental health before giving birth, with the number even higher among women of color. It found that screening for mental health conditions was done more at well-woman visits (13%) than during pregnancy (5%) or postpartum (9%), with the most common age category screened being 65 to 88 years old.
Daily Nurse: Building the Nursing Pipeline by Addressing Social Determinants of Learning (7/13) – This article asserts that the nursing leadership team at Adtalem Global Education helps nursing schools better meet the needs of their students through the Social Determinants of Learning (SDOL). Principles that emphasize access over exclusivity and put students at the center, and ultimately, help decrease the nursing shortage. If adopted more widely, the article claims that the framework can help nursing schools better meet the needs of their students and, ultimately, help reduce the nursing shortage.
STAT News: In N.C., Mandy Cohen built bridges to GOP. Can she find consensus as new CDC director? (7/14) – STAT News reported that new CDC director Mandy Cohen has a history of working well with Republicans, which can help her in her new role, citing as an example her work in North Carolina to implement a Medicaid demonstration program aimed at addressing social determinants.
The Southern Maryland Chronicle: Health Leaders Bring Solutions to Maryland’s Social Determinants of Health (7/14) – The Southern Maryland Chronicle reported on Maryland’s 2023 Maryland State of Reform Health Policy Conference in person at the Baltimore Convention Center to discuss initiatives to address SDoH and health equity. Examples of the initiatives discussed were those implemented by Aetna Better Health of Maryland, such as opening health education centers focusing on SDoH.
Fierce Healthcare: As value-based health moves from philosophy to reality, providers, payers focus on equity and interoperability (7/17) – Fierce Healthcare reported that equity was at the forefront of Reuters’ value-based health conference in Philadelphia last month. Over two days, executives from accountable care organizations, health systems and payers spoke about interoperability, population health, social determinants, the cost of care and taking on risk. Across the board, speakers agreed that the transition to value-based care (VBC) is both inevitable and critical to improving the healthcare system.
ICD10 Monitor: Understanding the Intersection: SDoH and CMS Star Rating Quality Measures (7/17) – In reference to CMS’s recent proposed rules, this article explains that recognizing and addressing these determinants, therefore, is crucial not just for maintaining high-quality healthcare services, but for ensuring equitable care for all, regardless of their circumstances.
Managed Healthcare Executive: How One Health System Uses AI-based Technologies to Identify Patients’ Social Determinants of Health (7/17) – Managed Healthcare Executive said that social determinants of health play a substantial role in driving health outcomes — both positive and negative. Until recently, however, providers have faced significant challenges in identifying patients who could benefit from SDOH interventions, resulting in missed opportunities to improve patient health at the individual and population levels.
Health Affairs: Addressing The Mental Health Equity Crisis: Can The Private Sector Lead? (7/19) – This article explains that historically marginalized communities continue to experience a widening disparity between mental health needs and therapeutic intervention and access: The impact of the mental health crisis has hit these communities harder than others.
Cision: Medecision Releases New Report Highlighting the Power of Tech-Enabled Interventions to Support Healthcare Industry's Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Strategy (7/19) – Medecision announced the release of a new industry report highlighting how real-time technology is incentivizing the healthcare industry to address barriers to care and improve outcomes. The report, A New Dawn for the Healthcare Industry's SDOH Strategy, has found that the ability to collect and activate SDOH data is often hampered by an array of challenges ranging from interoperability limitations and incompatible technology data stacks, to stakeholder communication and more.
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