Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Updated Oct 17, 20262 min read

Definition

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the non-medical conditions where people live, work and age, such as income, housing, food access, transportation and education, that affect their health and outcomes. Health systems, payers and CMS increasingly screen patients for SDOH and fund programs to address them, which creates demand for related data and tools.

SDOH are shaped by how money, power and resources are distributed, and they drive many of the health differences between groups of people. Healthcare organizations pay attention to them because medical care alone cannot fix problems such as unstable housing or lack of food.

Economic stability: income, employment and housing costs
Education access: schooling, literacy and education resources
Healthcare access: coverage, nearby services and health literacy
Social and community context: support networks, community ties and discrimination
Neighborhood and built environment: housing quality, transportation, clean air and water, and access to healthy food

SDOH shape behavior, exposure to risk and access to care. A patient without reliable transportation misses appointments, a patient with limited income may skip medications, and a neighborhood without grocery stores makes a healthy diet harder. Addressing these needs can prevent disease and lower costs.

How do healthcare organizations address SDOH?

Screen patients for social needs during visits
Refer patients to community organizations for food, housing and transportation help
Partner with local governments and nonprofits
Use data to find patients at risk and plan programs for them

How do SDOH fit into care planning?

Care teams that know a patient's social needs can plan around them, for example:

Arranging rides to appointments
Choosing lower-cost medications
Providing interpreters and materials in the patient's language

What SDOH means for teams selling into healthcare

CMS quality programs and value-based contracts increasingly ask providers to screen for social needs, which drives demand for screening tools, community referral platforms and population health analytics. Buyers include population health leaders, care management directors and community health teams at health systems, ACOs and health plans.