Community health workers identify health-related social needs in patients
Implementation of health-related social needs screening at Michigan health centers: A qualitative study
Community Health Workers Can Play a Role in Identifying Health-Related Social Needs in Patients
Addressing patients' health-related social needs, like housing and food security, is integral to patient care. Federally Qualified Health Centers are leaders in screening for and addressing patients' health-related social needs. However, screening practices vary. This variation is relatively unexplored, particularly with regards to organizational and state policy influences. Study authors conducted in-person, qualitative interviews at Michigan FQHCs to examine how screening approaches vary in the context of statewide social needs screening initiatives and structural factors. They identified four themes:
- 1) Statewide initiatives and local leadership drove variation in screening practices.
2) Community health workers played an integral role in identifying patients' needs and their roles often shifted from "screener" to "implementer."
3) Social needs screening data was variably integrated into electronic health records and infrequently used for population health management and
4) Sites experienced barriers to social needs screening that limited their perceived impact and sustainability.
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Implementation of Health-Related Social Needs Screening at Michigan Health Centers: A Qualitative Study Margaret Greenwood-Ericksen, MD, MSc, et al Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico https:/
Behavioral health integration helps practices address patients' socioeconomic needs
Applying lessons from behavioral health integration to social care integration in primary care
Lessons from Primary Care and Behavioral Health Integration Should Inform Health Care Practices to Identify and Address Patients' Social, Economic Needs
Although interest is accelerating around addressing patients' social and economic needs, effective and sustainable strategies for integrating social care practices into health care delivery have not yet been identified. This paper synthesizes learnings from primary care and behavioral health care integration and translates them into organizing principles with the goal of advancing social care integration practices to improve the health of patients and communities.
Applying Lessons From Behavioral Health Integration to Social Care Integration in Primary Care Theresa J. Hoeft, PhD, et al Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle https:/
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Integration of social care into health care: Our collective path ahead
Researchers, policy makers, health care systems and payers all play a part in meeting patient social care needs
Drs. Alicia Cohen and Emilia De Marchis provide commentary on three articles in this issue of Annals of Family Medicine, specifically Greenwood-Ericksen et al's research on Michigan's Federally Qualified Health Centers; Hoeft et al's special report about translating lessons learned from behavioral health integration into the social care realm; and Fessler et al's narrative about how they as medical students stepped away from their medical clerkships to act as community volunteers for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. All three articles serve as a timely call to action, reminding those in health care that work remains to meet the needs of patients, particularly in screening for and intervening on identified social risks. The urgency of this work has only been heightened by the pandemic as patients face new or intensified socio-economic hardships. Cohen and De Marchis write that collaboration is needed among researchers, policy makers, payers and health care systems to assist in identifying evidence-based practices for social needs integration. This includes improved training and education for all clinical care team members about social risk and social care activities, best practice guidelines, evidence-based interventions, and sustainable funding streams. Social risk data can also more broadly aid advocacy and policy efforts to expand community-based resources, efforts to address health inequities, and population health-level interventions. Cohen and De Marchis note that greater flexibility in using Center for Medicare & Medicaid dollars and the new 2021 Evaluation and Management coding guidelines for social determinants may help with more consistent funding for social care activities. "The path ahead requires working together and sharing learnings to advance our common goal of achieving health equity and wellness--for patients and the health care workforce alike," they write.
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Building an Evidence Base for Integration of Social Care Into Health Care: Our Collective Path Ahead Alicia J. Cohen, MD, MSc, FAAFP, Center of Innovation in Long Term Services and Supports, VA Providence Healthcare System; Departments of Family Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Emilia H. De Marchis, MD, MAS, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco https:/
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