Health Equity and SDoH – 2023 Health IT Predictions

As we head into 2023, we wanted to kick off the new year with a series of 2023 Health IT predictions.  We asked the Healthcare IT Today community to submit their predictions and we received a wide ranging set of responses that we grouped into a number of themes.  Check out our communities predictions below and be sure to add your own thoughts and/or places you disagree with these predictions in the comments and on social media.

All of this year’s 2023 health IT predictions:

And now, check out our community’s health equity and SDoH (Social Determinants of Health) predictions.

Ted Quinn, CEO and founder at Activate Care
Continued economic instability will put more Americans at risk for Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), creating even more strain on the system, and continuing to drive health inequity. That economic instability will cause strain on organizations designed to provide support for historically underserved individuals, creating an even bigger need for services and systems aimed at addressing SDoH. This will cause the need for payers, ACOs, and risk-bearing providers to invest in and create programs addressing SDoH. While we can see this all playing out in front of us, we could end up in the same place – or two steps backwards – if we continue to address SDoH reactively. Only time will tell.

Yossi Bahagon, Chairman at Sweetch
Equity and Access: We can expect to see more programs implemented that bridge the equity gaps in chronic care management, obesity, diabetes, and preventive care, among other areas. The gaps in access to care are growing wider and we are more aware than ever of the negative repercussions of lack of access.

As a result, the industry will see a transformation in the way healthcare delivery is addressed. We will see healthcare buyers seek out companies that can demonstrate their positive impact on access to medical care for all communities. The focus will shift from increasing modes of access to those who already have adequate access, to opening new channels for those who are underserved.

Dr. Adrienne Boissy, Chief Medical Officer at Qualtrics at Qualtrics
Financial health must be recognized as inseparable from health. From 2020 to 2022, consumers were more likely to receive the care they needed, but cost concerns have become more common than health concerns. In 2022, 31% of people reported they chose to defer care, due to cost concerns. Further, 43% cited overall higher prices from things like groceries, gas, and restaurants as contributing factors to deferring care. A fuller recognition of the disparities that impact health, some of which are financial, also feels critical as these voices may not be completing surveys or showing up for care.

This year was a financially challenging year for many health systems and the economic uncertainty will continue to impact peoples’ lives. The cost cannot simply get transferred to the patient. 2023 will mark a peak opportunity for healthcare entities to take a hard look at how they spend their dollars to become better stewards in caring for their community. Because if patients can’t afford care, not only will outcomes suffer, but overall care will be more expensive. Organizations who know this are moving care into the home, becoming more transparent about costs (beyond what’s required), and better predicting patient ability to pay.

It also starts with our executive teams looking a bit more like the communities we commit to serve. With deeper understanding of those whose voices may be getting lost through unstructured analytics and in the churches and schools. These efforts, and many more, will have substantial impact when it comes to the health of communities and the value healthcare can bring.

Chelsea King Arthur, Vice President of Population and Digital Health at Get Well
Better Coverage Options Will Broaden Mental Health Access For All: We can expect mental health care access and options to continue expanding with more apps like Headspace and Better Help. In tandem with that, we’ll also start seeing better healthcare coverage options for mental health treatment for patients, making access broader and more affordable.

Reimbursement Plans Will be Based on Social Determinants and Risk-Stratified: Without a major shift in policy, we’re not going to see the strides in health equity that we hope to achieve. In 2023, we think CMS will finally recognize this and start laying the groundwork for reimbursing for social determinants of health  screening and addressing identified needs. We’ll also likely see those policies allow for risk stratification, in order to help support providers and payers who disproportionately serve those with greater needs.

Wayne Johnson, Vice President of Special Operations at Sunwave Health
Outcomes and accountability will be more critical. Regulatory changes and continued private equity investment will likely drive increased interest in outcomes tracking for mental health and SUD providers in 2023. These trends will push providers to accountability standards that many are unprepared to meet.

Nearly a third of SUD and mental health providers surveyed manually track outcomes or use a homegrown solution, and less than 16% have an integrated data platform. The analytic obstacles created by a lack of incentives and support for technology adoption within the space have left many providers unprepared and unsupported to answer basic operational and clinical questions. 3. Health equity comes into focus. 2023 will see an expanded and enriched focus on health equity within mental health and SUD treatment.

Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) drive up to 50% of county-level variation in health outcomes. Housing and transportation are significant in SUD treatment. Studies indicate housing and case management lower overall SUD treatment duration by 7.5 days, representing significant cost savings and improvement in care experience.

As a result, state Medicaid programs are exploring and implementing strategies to address SDoH and drive health equity across populations, including SUD and mental health patients. Behavioral health providers should take heed and consider implementations that take an integrative and holistic approach that brings health equity and SDoH into care methodologies to meet these evolving and higher standards of care.

Matt Dickson, Senior Vice President, Communication Solutions at Carenet Health
Next Year Will Usher in a New Level of Coordination to Address Health Equity: Improving health outcomes cannot be achieved without health equity. Put simply, health disparities prevent individuals from accessing quality healthcare and create barriers for patients to live a healthy life. These disparities can impact a patient’s ability to manage chronic conditions, receive timely treatment, adhere to care plans, and more.

Many of the issues preventing patients from taking action to access care are the same factors that can prevent patients from adhering to treatment such as language barriers, transportation and geography challenges, cost, and low health literacy. Last summer, Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network launched a social care network that compensates non-profits that address social determinants of health for its patients such as food insecurity, transportation barriers, and housing. Through this innovative program, 20 participating non-profits in Pennsylvania have the potential to earn value-based reimbursement – this is what the future of whole health looks like.

With the goal of driving better patient outcomes, improving population health, and reducing healthcare costs, the focus on health inequities and social determinants of health will continue to play a key role in healthcare in the years ahead.

Theresa West, Chief Commercial Officer at Patient Discovery
We will see healthcare organizations begin to move funding for health equity initiatives from expendable to essential. There will be an increase in need for resources such as health advocates, social workers, navigators, and community health workers who are deeply engaged in life outside of the clinical walls. In order to strive for a balance between limited budget and limited resources, organizations will turn to technology in order to expand the depth and breadth of engagement. They will look to deploy solutions that have a relational feel versus simply a tactical check the box.

Leaders across the board from healthcare, life sciences, government agencies, and community-based organizations will be searching for ways to increase collaboration, take meaningful steps towards resolution of social determinants of health, and move the needle in regard to health equity. One foundational element that will drive success in 2023 will be the elevated levels of trust between all parties. One way to elevate trust is by taking action. This will be a year of movement, change, and action.

Be sure to check out all of Healthcare IT Today’s health equity and SDoH content and all of our other 2023 healthcare IT predictions.

About the author

John Lynn

John Lynn is the Founder of HealthcareScene.com, a network of leading Healthcare IT resources. The flagship blog, Healthcare IT Today, contains over 13,000 articles with over half of the articles written by John. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 20 million times.

John manages Healthcare IT Central, the leading career Health IT job board. He also organizes the first of its kind conference and community focused on healthcare marketing, Healthcare and IT Marketing Conference, and a healthcare IT conference, EXPO.health, focused on practical healthcare IT innovation. John is an advisor to multiple healthcare IT companies. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can be found on Twitter: @techguy.

   

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