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Programs to solve for social determinants of health (SDOH) are emerging across the industry landscape. Through its network of five pediatric urgent care centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area, PM Pediatric Care has launched an SDOH screening program that will assess as many as 300,000 children for risk of food insecurity, housing instability, and childcare concerns. The Amerigroup Texas managed care organization is supporting PM Pediatric Care’s effort with tablet devices and infrastructure to administer the screenings, using the nationally recognized PRAPARE tool. Amerigroup case managers will connect families to appropriate community resources.
Why SDOH programs matter in urgent care: An increasing number of providers are seeking ways to improve the factors in a patient’s life that contribute to health but aren’t specifically addressed with medical care. By doing so, they stand to gain bonus pay or higher reimbursement in value-based models. In fact, a recent JAMA Network Open article reported that 79.2% of 2,858 hospitals participating in a survey said they screen for at least one health-related social need. Urgent care centers affiliated with larger health organizations will likely be brought into large-scale SDOH initiatives.SDOH Programs Gaining Traction Across Healthcare Landscape