Place Matters

We have all heard about the social determinants of health and that zip codes correlate to health outcomes (see Life Expectancy in New Orleans below). The evidence as well as the solutions were nicely reviewed at a session of the 2014 National Health Policy Conference.  This is important to all providers because these factors (that are outside of your control) may decrease you performance rankings and perhaps drive patients and clients away from your business.  How can you provide service to vulnerable populations without excessive risk?

"Community Health & Disparity: Moving Beyond Description" is a webinar that lasts about an hour and 30 minutes.  This time well-spent is filled with information, knowledge and wisdom about healthcare disparities.  This is essentially a call to organized action at the community level and providers of healthcare must be well-represented.  As wealth gaps and opportunities for economic equality become political battlegrounds, healthcare delivery systems are dragged into the spotlight because our performance is really a key indicator of the health of the entire community.  The health of your patients says as much about their zip codes as it does about than about your care.

The solutions to the provider's dilemma are complex.  Providers will not be able to hide cherry-picking and patient dumping strategies.  These are not viable even as near-term solutions.  However, a number of policies and practices expressly for optimizing both your clinical practice and payments are available.  For example, if you next step is community engagement, contracting with a physician support entity, upgrading your EHR, or workforce development, reach out to MED+Works to make it happen. Contact us.