Social risk, social need, and use of the emergency department

This cohort study examines the association of social risk and social need with emergency department use by patients within a Medicaid accountable care organization who were screened for adverse social determinants of health in primary care. 

Adverse social determinants of health (SDOH) include adverse social conditions associated with poor health (social risk) and an individual’s preferences and priorities regarding assistance (social need). Many studies on use of emergency department (ED) services are limited by single-center ascertainment of visits. We examined the association of social risk and social need with ED use by patients within a Medicaid accountable care organization (ACO) who were screened for adverse SDOH in primary care and whose ED use could be tracked by claims at any site.