Developing an National Health and Equity Infrastructure Using Drivers of Health

July 1, 2022

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Despite decades of work to reduce disparities in health outcomes in the US, significant gaps in care and safety remain. In a new Health Affairs Forefront article,  Shantanu Agrawal and colleagues explain how addressing drivers of health (DOH), such as transportation access, food insecurity, and housing status can help promote health equity. To do so will require a concerted effort to measure DOH, also called social determinants of health (SDOH).

According to the authors, “Recognizing that what the health care system measures and pays for is the ultimate expression of what and who it values, we must account for drivers of health not just via pilots, projects, or special initiatives, but by integrating these factors into the regulatory framework of the health care system that moves close to 20 percent of gross domestic product. We describe here an actionable DOH measurement vision and pathway—starting with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) enacting the first-ever federal DOH measures—to make visible and address the impact of these factors on health disparities, outcomes, and cost.”

To read more, click here.

(Source: Health Affairs Forefront, July 1st, 2022)

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