AHIMA Members’ Role in Social Determinants of Health

Good health is not solely a product of the care we receive. As you know, our well-being is intertwined with our environment and our socio-economic circumstances, otherwise known as the social determinants of health (SDOH).

COVID-19 made it clear that our cultural inequities directly translate to health inequities, as marginalized communities experienced poorer health outcomes at greater rates than other groups.

The good news is that there is political will and legislative and regulatory momentum to tackle health inequities, and there are opportunities and resources available to create scalable and sustainable solutions.

That said, health information (HI) professionals have a critical role to play in this effort. Unlike others, you see the entire data journey, from collection to claim, understanding where and how the data needs to flow for clinical operations and payment decisions while keeping that data accurate, complete, timely, and secure.

We know there are challenges you face: You don’t always have complete access to the information you need, and it may be scattered or hard to find. Data may be difficult to categorize. It might not be documented fully — or at all.

That is why at AHIMA, we are bringing together different healthcare stakeholders to tackle this challenge. We call this effort Data for Better Health™.

Last summer, we partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to survey the field to better understand the struggles and concerns related to the collection, sharing, and use of SDOH data. We found that providers, patients, and HI professionals face challenges such as not enough training, difficulty accessing records, and a hesitance to share personal data.

Over the past year, we've initiated "SDOH Data Breaks," hour-long webinars where we invite healthcare leaders to discuss their approaches to SDOH data collection, utilization, and sharing. We've had the privilege of hosting speakers from organizations such as Trinity, New York-Presbyterian, the American Academy of Family Physicians, Kaiser, and Parkland. These sessions have been instrumental in fostering discussions around how organizations can improve the collection, sharing, and use of SDOH data to improve health outcomes.

We have also contributed to a series of articles in the Journal of AHIMA, focusing on SDOH data, to raise awareness about ongoing efforts and challenges faced by healthcare professionals in their daily work related to SDOH data. During AHIMA23, we conducted an interactive workshop to better understand what HI professionals need from their organizational leaders to improve the collection, sharing, and use of SDOH data.

We've observed that many healthcare professionals are still in the initial stages of this journey. We often hear, “I need to ask more questions.” HI professionals realize the need to delve deeper.

By involving HI professionals in key discussions and developing tools, resources, and education, we can enhance the capture, sharing, and use of SDOH data. Furthermore, cross-collaboration and partnerships with the broader healthcare workforce can help identify opportunities to work together and raise all boats to improve the lives of individuals and communities.

HI professionals are central to addressing health inequities. Through advocacy, education, and innovation, we can make real progress. AHIMA is here to support and guide you in this effort. Together, we can improve health outcomes through improved collection, sharing, and use of SDOH data.

Lauren Riplinger, JD, is chief public policy and impact officer for AHIMA.