Social determinants of health — economic stability, neighborhood and physical environment, education, food, transportation, community and social context — can all impact health outcomes. With the growing emphasis on population and community health, how do hospitals and health systems make the business case for investing in social services to improve the health of their patients and communities?
A new report from the KPMG Government Institute focuses on building the business case for social services investment by healthcare organizations of all types. After defining social services investment and its common barriers, the guide focuses on these six steps:
- Identifying what to invest in
- Determining what success is by selecting the care outcomes
- Measuring costs of care
- Determining the appropriate investment model
- Setting up the return on investment approach
- Sensitivity analysis and investment kick-off
The appendices include several short business case examples from different types of healthcare organizations.
Source: Investing in social services as a core strategy for healthcare organization: developing the business case – a practical guide to support health plan and provider investments in social services. March. 2018. http://www.kpmg-institutes.com/ content/dam/kpmg/governmentinstitute/pdf/2018/investing-social-services.PDF. Also available from the Commonwealth Fund at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/files/publications/other/2018/investingsocialservices_pdf.pdf
Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Financial management, Health disparities, Hospital costs, Population health, Posted by Diana Culbertson | Tagged: return on investment, social determinants of health |
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