Study: Most providers don’t screen for community conditions that impact health

Most U.S. physician practices and hospitals are screening patients for at least one social need, but only a small percentage are screening for all five social needs recommended by the federal government, according to a new national study (Source: “Most providers don't screen for social determinants of health,” Modern Healthcare, Sept. 18, 2019).

The new study found that nearly a quarter of hospitals and 15.6% of physician practices screened patients for all five social determinants of health prioritized by the CMS — food insecurity, housing instability, utility needs, transportation needs and interpersonal violence, according to the study published in JAMA.

Screening for interpersonal violence was the most common, while checking patients for utility needs was the least common.

Providers with higher screening rates were federally qualified health centers, academic health centers, bundled payment participants, primary care improvement programs, Medicaid accountable care organizations and physician practices in Medicaid expansion states.

The study by Dartmouth University researchers is one of the first to examine the adoption of social risk screening in U.S. healthcare settings. It's increasingly recognized that social risks are linked to poorer treatment adherence, worse health outcomes and higher costs of care, an accompanying JAMA commentary noted.