Health Systems Tackle Social Determinants for Patients; Is This a Suitable Strategy?

The notion of hospitals addressing"social determinants" of patients during care episodes is much in the news. A recent article described this approach as a key element in"complete care" (see: Complete care: Hospitals tackling social determinants set the course). Below is an excerpt from the article:[Health] [s]ystems adopting...unconventional approaches to managing chronic disease are becoming less unusual as the concept of addressing social determinants of health sweeps the industry. Income, education, employment, food security, housing stability and violence are all targeted factors to help improve patient health.What are social determinants of health?* Housing instability* Food insecurity* Transit* Education* Utility needs* Violence* Family and social support* Employment and incomeI certainly agree that social determinants are critical in determining the success of healthcare services for many patients and I am pleased that some health systems are addressing this problem in a coordinated and effective way. My quibble about this is whether such an effort should be one of their prime missions. I would argue against this idea and suggest that hospitals should place their prime emphasis on the reduction of the cost of healthcare while at the same time make referrals to local, state, and federal agencies whose primary mission is addressing social determinants. Here's a short paragraph about the cost of healthcare in the U.S that is completely...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Business Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Insurance Hospital Executive Management Hospital Financial Medical Consumerism Preventive Medicine Public Health Source Type: blogs