Organizations that account for the social determinants of health and connect patients to services that meet their social needs could reduce spending by approximately 11 percent within a year, according to a recent study. HealthConnections, a program from WellCare Health Plans, focuses on addressing the socioeconomic needs of vulnerable patients by referring beneficiaries to community services, such as transportation to appointments or help paying for basic utility services.
To examine the relationship between social determinants of health and healthcare costs, the team compared the change in average healthcare expenses for patients enrolled in the HealthConnections program who had all their social needs met versus a group who had no social needs met.
Jessica Kent | June 05, 2018
This piece appears in Health IT Analytics: Tools and Strategies News