Social Determinants of Health
Also in this weekly roundup of health news: AHA president and CEO Rick Pollack speaks to HealthLeaders about the association鈥檚 year ahead; digital health startups growing presence at this year鈥檚 Consumer Electronics Show; how consumers are and aren鈥檛 using popular health apps; and some Medicaid鈥
Hospitals and health systems are increasingly focused on ways to address the social and economic factors that can affect health and health outcomes for their patients and communities.
Also in this weekly roundup of health care news: hospital beds will soon monitor patients鈥 vital signs, a Suboxone-licensed physician makes an impact in rural Wisconsin, and hospital gives homeless women a 鈥渟afe space鈥 to treat emotional, physical health.
Also in this weekly roundup of health care news: a Chicago suburb leads the nation in eliminating veteran homelessness, and medical schools crawl toward more enrollment diversity.
Providence Alaska Medical Center, Alaska Regional Hospital and Alaska Native Medical Center teamed up with Catholic Social Services to lend a hand to patients without homes, and Langhorne, Pa.-based St. Mary Medical Center uses a multifaceted approach to embed access to healthy, fresh food in its鈥
I am grateful for the time and commitment that people working and volunteering in hospitals and health systems give to their communities every day.
However, there鈥檚 still much to do.
The AHA commended the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation for adopting a holistic approach to examining the links between social risk factors, health care outcomes and value-based payment programs.
AHA shares insights on addressing social risk factors with the Department of Health and Human Services
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar today previewed the agency鈥檚 plans to better address social determinants of health.