Screening for social determinants of health during primary care and emergency department encounters

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have mandated inpatient screening of selected social determinants of health (SDOH) needs starting in 2024. However, wide scale screening of SDOH has not become standard practice, in part due to limited resources. The optimal clinical setting(s) for deployment of SDOH resources to improve health outcomes is uncertain. This study aims to explore characteristics of patients who are screened and who screen positive for SDOH needs in different clinical settings within a large integrated health system.