Understanding Impact of Socioeconomic Data on Health Outcomes

By Claire Thayer, January 26, 2017

While advancements in medical technologies have contributed to improved health outcomes, health care systems are increasingly retooling their focus to understanding the basic socio determinants of health, the underlying factors of how socio and economic conditions are correlated to health outcomes of patient populations along with the role of local communities in addressing these issues.  As health care providers undertake more risk with population health management and value-based payment arrangements, health care providers are being held accountable not only health care costs, but also the health of their patient populations.

The CDC outlines some of the factors related to health outcomes as:

• ·         How a person develops during the first few years of life (early childhood development)
• ·         How much education a person obtains
• ·         Being able to get and keep a job
• ·         What kind of work a person does
• ·         Having food or being able to get food (food security)
• ·         Having access to health services and the quality of those services
• ·         Housing status
• ·         How much money a person earns
• ·         Discrimination and social support

This week, a special edition of the MCOL Infographic, co-sponsored by LexisNexis Health Care, highlights many of the key socioeconomic factors impacting health outcomes for patient populations:

 

Additional reading:

Tackling Patients’ Social Problems Can Cut Health Costs, Kaiser Health News, January 23, 2017

Socio Determinants of Health: Know What Affects Health, CDC

Healthy People 2020 – Socio Determinants of Health, Health People.gov

Using Social Determinants of Health Data to Improve Health Care and Health: A Learning Report, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2016

Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity. Kaiser Family Foundation, November 4, 2015.

MCOL’s weekly infoGraphoid is a benefit for MCOL Basic members and released each Wednesday as part of the MCOL Daily Factoid e-newsletter distribution service – find out more here.