Provider impacts of socioeconomic risk screening and referral programs: A systematic scoping review

Strong and consistent evidence has demonstrated that social determinants of health (SDH)—including socioeconomic factors related to the availability of food, transportation, and housing—are associated with health and wellbeing. These associations have led to new “social care” practices and payment models that incentivize intervening on social adversity in the context of clinical care with the goal of improving health outcomes, reducing health spending, and achieving health equity. Health care-based social care practices are diverse and include initiatives to surface patients’ social needs and to intervene using referrals to community and government-based programs; some of these interventions have been shown to contribute to improved health and reduced health care costs.

The issue brief is based on a study published in JABFM in July 2021.