The U.S. lags behind other developed countries in the use of indices and novel reimbursement models to adjust for social determinants of health (SDH) in medicine. This may be due in part to the inadequate body of research regarding outcomes after implementation of healthcare payments designed to address SDH. This perspective article focuses on four models employed both internationally and domestically to outline the implementation, successes, limitations, and research needed to support national application of SDH models. A brief history of prior models is introduced asa primer to the current U.S. system. Internationally, the United Kingdom and New Zealand employ small area indices to adjust healthcare dollar allocation based on increased social need in an area.
https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(19)30319-8/fulltextDespite training to provide care across the continuum of health delivery settings, the proportion of family physicians (FPs) reporting inpatient care has decreased by 26% between 2013 and 2017, leaving approximately 1 in 4 of FPs practicing hospital medicine in 2017. Policy makers, payers, and leaders in medical education should closely track the impact of these trends, given previous evidence associating better cost and utilization outcomes with broader scope of practice. Comprehensiveness is one of the Starfield’s core tenets of primary care. Patients of family physicians (FPs) with a broader scope of practice have been shown to have lower overall health care spending.
Purpose: Primary care physicians are increasingly participating in accountable care organizations (ACOs). While prior studies have identified ACO and patient characteristics associated with savings, none have examined characteristics of the communities served by ACOs. Our objective was to assess the relationship between an ACO’s service area characteristics and its savings rate.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2014 Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Provider and Beneficiary, and Public Use Files to identify ACO and beneficiary characteristics.