Tag Archives: social determinants of health

Righting the Wrongs of Risk Based Algorithms

As we continue to address health inequities, understanding how algorithms impact races differently is important. One of these inequities revolves around the racial disparities in kidney disease, with Black individuals experiencing a 2-to-4-fold higher incidence of kidney failure than White individuals. Moreover, Black individuals have faced lower referral rates for pre-dialysis transplant evaluation, post-kidney failure transplants, and placement… Read More »

The Value of Funding Social Drivers of Health

As we continue to focus on delivering health in a manner that is equitable, we have come to realize the importance of social drivers of health, known as those diseases of life, that occur outside of the physiologic realm and impact an individual’s health and wellness. Presently, investments in methodologies that address these conditions have revolved around governmental… Read More »

Obesity Continues to Plague our Healthcare Systems

We continue to battle the epidemic of obesity and we have tried countless tactics to impact the ever-growing issue. Unfortunately, effective treatment remains elusive, no matter what models we utilize. Whether it is diets, behavioral modification, or even bariatric surgery, we seem to continue to have a minimal impact. The idea of self-activation and engagement continues to be… Read More »

How Can We Overcome the Unintended Consequences of Medicare Advantage Expansion?

Since the formation of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, there has been continuous growth in the number of Medicare beneficiaries that have chosen this model of care. The reasons are numerous. For instance, the pace of growth in the number of company offerings and members has picked up over recent years, and the current projection is that MA… Read More »

Money Does Make A Difference

As we begin to reflect on policy changes and how they impacted people during covid, It’s of utmost importance that we assess what enhanced our wellbeing and what did not. We know that a significant determinant of health, especially in children, is access to healthy food and permanent food security. One of the many policies during Covid was… Read More »

A Deeper Look at Structural Racism in US Health Care Policy

Structural racism refers to, “The totality of ways societies foster racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing systems of housing, credit, media, health care, and criminal justice.” One of the leading structural components that has led to the inequitable distribution of health services is healthcare financing, i.e., insurance coverage. Inadequate health insurance coverage is one of the most prevalent barriers… Read More »

Is Our Racial Divide Worsening in Healthcare?

In 1973, an article entitled, “Does Race Interfere with the Doctor-Patient Relationship,” was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It pointed out systemic biases that impact the care for those in minority groups. Almost 50 years later, have we improved? Though the article delineated a significant amount of attention that addresses health inequities and the… Read More »

Healthy Equity is A Critical Part of Value-Based Payment Models

As value-based payment models have continued to expand, this expansion has occurred in the more affluent communities. Additionally, communities with more socioeconomically vulnerable individuals were less likely to be selected for joint replacement bundles, another form of a value-based payment. A big reason for this lack of equitable distribution of value-based care, can be linked to the absence… Read More »

Workforce Wellness Programs: Are They Focused on the Wrong Thing?

Recently, there has been an ongoing debate over the value of workplace wellness programs. It is logical to think that to improve a person’s health, you can provide them with support services such as weight management and disease intervention plans through their worksite and ultimately their health will improve, and costs will decrease for both the employee and… Read More »

Why Using Social Determinant Metrics in The Hospital Readmission Penalty Calculation Matters?

Currently, there is an ongoing debate whether Medicare readmission penalty policy is equitable to all hospitals. The greatest argument and concern is the lack of social determinants of health (SDOH) factors in the calculation. Many contend including SDOH is essential to create greater equality amongst the comparisons. In contrast, others do not believe they are impactful or state… Read More »