The role of pediatric networks in managing social health needs

Pediatric-specific networks have emerged over the past decade as Medicaid payment models have shifted away from fee-for-service, which rewards volume of service delivery, towards more value-based payments that incentivize improved health outcomes. More recently, growing recognition that health care alone is insufficient to produce health has resulted in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advancing value-based payment models that allow greater flexibility for networks to address the “social determinants of health” – those social and economic conditions which significantly influence health outcomes. Although pediatricians have long advocated for understanding and addressing social health needs, pediatric networks must now determine their role in managing or mitigating the impact of these complex factors on the health of their attributed populations. Pediatric networks can implement basic screening and referral processes to address social health needs, invest network resources in direct service provision, and/or leverage the network's expertise in child health to influence upstream changes in health policy. This article presents some questions that pediatric networks can use to explore their potential role in managing social health needs.