Strategic partnerships could impact social determinants of health (SDoH), improve health outcomes
As the summer gets underway, the demand for food assistance is expected to increase anywhere from 46 percent to 125 percent, as compared to the summer of 2022. This is largely due to inflation and the end to the pandemic-era expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Beyond food banks, community-based organizations (CBOs) providing housing and other social services are also expecting increased demand for resources over the next few months.
When it comes to providing health care and services to vulnerable populations – those aging, disabled or with traumatic brain injury – proper access to food, housing and other health-related social needs can reduce reliance on the healthcare system. In fact, social determinants of health (SDoH) – the conditions that impact an individual’s access to food, housing and other health-related social needs – determine about 50 percent of health outcomes.
In light of this, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and various state Medicaid departments are encouraging and facilitating CBO and healthcare organization (HCO) partnerships with educational resources and funding options. While these partnerships are relatively new, recent analyses and reports offer insights organizations can use to set their partnerships up for success.
According to a 2017 report from the Nonprofit Finance Fund, the Center for Health Care Strategies, and the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, CBO-HCO partnerships:
- Effectively connect those they serve to clinical and non-clinical services.
- More deeply engage individuals in their care.
- Elevate providers’ ability to address clinical issues by leveraging CBO professionals’ expertise and skills.
- Increase Medicaid members’ access to care and health outcomes.
Case studies published by the Greater New Your Hospital Association reflect similar benefits. One study focused on the collaboration between Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA), a CBO, and the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, an HCO, to create a service helping aging adults transition to care at-home after hospital discharge, at no cost to the patients. The service has been a resounding success as the partnership dramatically reduced hospital readmission among patients.
IT Solutions Improve Collaboration
At FEI, we understand the importance of whole-person care in improving program member outcomes. We support efforts to form collaborative partnerships among HCOs, CBOs and other care organizations, and we celebrate their results –
Our Blue Compass LTSS Case Management solution helps foster these collaborative efforts by eliminating redundancy, communication barriers, and information silos, effectively centering the person receiving care in an efficient, coordinated network. Our case management tools streamline and enhance person-centered care planning and offer robust tracking and monitoring options—ideal for automating key processes that keep partnerships running smoothly.
