Local Partnerships Are Helping to Integrate Health and Social Services, But They Need Help
<p>Stable housing, a safe home environment, access to nutritious food — these are just some of the many social factors that play a big role in people’s health. To improve outcomes for patients with complex health and social needs, many communities across the United States are launching efforts to connect health care providers with local organizations that can help patients get essential nonmedical services.</p><p>Most programs, however, face an array of challenges in their push to fully integrate health care with social services, find the authors of a new Commonwealth Fund brief released today. In <em>Using Community Partnerships to Integrate Health and Social Services for High-Need, High-Cost Patients,</em> Ruben Amarasingham, M.D., and colleagues profile several of these initiatives and offer practical approaches for achieving financial sustainability, measuring health outcomes and cost-savings, and integrating information technologies.</p>
<p>“Establishing an evidence base for cross-sector partnership will require continued funding and experimentation, as well as additional collaborative projects, learning networks, and information clearinghouses to disseminate the significant but often isolated work occurring across the country,” the authors write.</p>