Every person’s health story is unique. Telling that story requires clinical data and the socioeconomic factors that influence overall health. Capturing social determinants of health (SDOH) data—which include factors such as economic stability, social connections, and behavioral health—helps healthcare providers create meaningful health journeys for individuals and communities. As the leading voice of health information, AHIMA believes that health information professionals bring a uniquely comprehensive view to using SDOH data. AHIMA is working across the healthcare landscape to educate, align, and advocate for purposeful and informed strategies that safeguard privacy, reduce cost, improve quality of care, and foster a patient-centered experience that is broadly accessible and equitable to the communities the health system serves.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the economic, social, and behavioral conditions that influence the health and quality of life of individuals and populations. HIM professionals are uniquely equipped to capture this complex information, helping clinical and financial health teams create meaningful health journeys for individuals and communities.
Bookmark this page as a navigable resource for SDOH-related content. Here you will find articles from the Journal of AHIMA exploring the topic of SDOH as well as information on events and other resources from AHIMA and the across the healthcare industry.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) data offer a fundamental shift in value-based healthcare delivery. Provider organizations are evaluating high-impact interventions that address the non-medical root causes of health issues in both individuals and populations. However, incorporating SDOH in practice presents significant challenges in data acquisition, validation, analysis, and integration.
HIM professionals will need to be fluent in more than Z codes to support social determinants of health initiatives. The relationship between clinical outcomes and such determinants as economic stability, environmental quality, and food security have been well established for decades. However, the ability to capture this information and integrate it with clinical data and care plans is fairly new.
“Integrating Social Determinants of Health into the Electronic Health Records of a Large Health System: A Qualitative Perspective,” a peer-reviewed study published in Perspectives in Health Information Management, explores barriers and facilitators for the integration of SDOH into the EHR system of a large diverse healthcare system in South Florida.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) data offer a fundamental shift in value-based healthcare delivery. Provider organizations are evaluating high-impact interventions that address the non-medical root causes of health issues in both individuals and populations. However, incorporating SDOH in practice presents significant challenges in data acquisition, validation, analysis, and integration.
