Population Health

Providers nationwide need to make an organizational commitment to addressing social needs and health disparities, says the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine – and policymakers need to sort out IT infrastructure and reimbursement.

At Health 2.0, HHS Chief Data Officer Mona Siddiqui spotlighted recent efforts, including some cloud-based dynamic data and mapping tools, to link far-flung data for better public health.

What patients want from a healthcare provider is surprisingly uncomplicated. They want convenience. They want quality care. And they want empathy at a scary time in their lives.

For its 13th annual National Health IT Week, which kicks off today and runs through Sept. 27, HIMSS will be focusing on how public- and private-sector stakeholders can better align information and technology to drive advancements in population health. WHY IT MATTERS With the theme this year of Supporting Healthy Communities, HIMSS will be convening in-person and virtual events – along with White House officials, Congressional leaders, federal and state agencies, healthcare providers and community groups nationwide – to spotlight opportunities to address five key factors of community health: Advancing public and population health Modernizing the public health infrastructure Accelerating workforce development Expanding access to broadband and telehealth Addressing social determinants of health More than 500 different stakeholders, including government agencies, industry and community groups nationwide, are participating, in NHIT events all week long. You can see a full listing of events here and follow along on Twitter using the hashtags #NHITweek, #HITworks, #IHeartHIT or #GovHIT. Be sure to check back on Healthcare IT News this week for further coverage of NHIT Week events. THE LARGER TREND National Health IT Week's theme of Supporting Healthy Communities coincides with our own focus this month on the social determinants of health. So far in September, HITN and its sister sites have explored data-driven partnerships, the impact of social services spending, how AI is helping providers manage SDOH data, and how other new technologies and new ideas are changing the calculous for personal and population health. ON THE RECORD "Advancing public health and population health efforts will be critical to overcoming the problems that drive poor health outcomes and in turn will facilitate supporting healthy communities," according to HIMSS. "Communities must learn how to identify linkages with existing mobile/telehealth/social media technologies. The drive toward smart cities and communities may be most impactful in advancing public and population health, particularly when they are able to interoperate across core health, human services and non-health sector systems." .jumbotron{ background-image: url("https://www.healthcareitnews.com/sites/hitn/files/u2556/SocialDeterminantJumbotron.jpg"); background-size: cover; color: white; } .jumbotron h2{ color: white; } Focus on Social Determinants of Health In September, Healthcare Finance News, Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews will take a look at the SDOH and how varied health systems, IT companies, Congress and others are addressing it. Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.

Two consultants explain how the agility of remote hosting can boost readiness for social determinant of health initiatives – and spotlight the privacy and security concerns that must be prioritized.

The prescriptive analytics company will start by helping researchers the Novant Health Institute of Innovation & Artificial Intelligence reduce readmissions for congestive heart failure.

As part of its Healthy Opportunities Initiative, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has enlisted Phreesia to help health systems statewide learn more about their patients' social determinants of health. WHY IT MATTERS Phreesia, patient intake platform is able to screen patients for unmet social and environmental needs that could be adversely affecting their health. It poses questions patients about various social factors and can deliver real-time alerts for providers and care coordinators, helping them better target care interventions. In addition, its analytics and reporting help health systems with population health management. Phreesia's technology will deliver North Carolina's Standardized Social Determinants of Health Screening Questions to providers across the state – helping them spot patients who may be helped by addressing certain social factors, enabling providers to be more attuned to their holistic health. Additionally, NCCARE360, North Carolina's first coordinated network connecting healthcare and human service providers, is being deployed statewide, making it easier to connect people with resources according to their needs. THE LARGER TREND Phreesia, which went public earlier this summer, points to research from Kaiser Permanente that suggests most patients want their providers to ask about their social needs and help connect them to resources. As Healthcare IT News focuses this month on social determinants of health, we've been exploring the wide variety of factors – from housing to food insecurity to domestic safety – that can have huge effects on a person's health. In North Carolina, according to the state DHHS, more than 1.2 million people cannot find affordable housing, and one in 28 children under age six is homeless. More than one in five children are living in food-insecure households, and nearly half (47 percent) of North Carolina women say they have experienced intimate partner violence. Helping connect these people with community-based programs could help, and many new initiatives are being launched to do just that. But first, providers need to know that their patients are in need. ON THE RECORD "To advance the health and well-being of North Carolinians, we need to build a coordinated, whole person-centered system that addresses both medical and non-medical drivers of health," said DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy K. Cohen in a statement. "Our partnership with Phreesia will make it easier for doctors and other health care providers to ask patients about their non-medical health needs, which are a critical component of their overall health." "We're excited to collaborate and support NC DHHS on this important initiative," said Phreesia CEO Chaim Indig. "Helping providers identify patients' social needs allows us to further our mission of improving the healthcare experience, and we look forward to continuing this work in communities across the country." .jumbotron{ background-image: url("https://www.healthcareitnews.com/sites/hitn/files/u2556/SocialDeterminantJumbotron.jpg"); background-size: cover; color: white; } .jumbotron h2{ color: white; } Focus on Social Determinants of Health In September, Healthcare Finance News, Healthcare IT News and MobiHealthNews will take a look at the SDOH and how varied health systems, IT companies, Congress and others are addressing it. Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.