Survey Finds Most Healthcare Orgs Struggle to Collect, Use SDOH Data

A white paper published last week by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) shows that a majority of surveyed healthcare organizations are collecting social determinants of health (SDOH) data but various challenges related to data collection, coding, and use prevent this information from being leveraged effectively to improve health outcomes.

The survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago on AHIMA’s behalf, aimed to better understand how SDOH is collected, coded, and used, and with this improved understanding, inform educational tools, resources, and policy recommendations to support the standardization and use of SDOH data.

NORC surveyed 2,637 AHIMA members from a pool of 41,215 AHIMA members and non-members using a 27-question web survey. Survey recipients worked in roles related to health information data collection and management, including health information management (HIM) leaders and their teams, coding professionals, and C-suite executives.

A majority of respondents (78 percent) reported that their organization collects SDOH, with 71 percent saying their organization primarily captures SDOH data electronically.

But stakeholders face various challenges in the collection of complete and accurate SDOH data, the most notable of which were a lack of standardization and integration of the data into a patient’s medical record, insufficient training and education on how to capture, collect, code, and use SDOH data, and limited use of SDOH data to communicate between healthcare providers and community-based referral organizations.

To address these issues, the white paper makes several recommendations.

In terms of standardization and data integration, AHIMA recommends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and related agencies within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) establish a set of standardized, clinically valid, and actionable SDOH data elements for collection in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

The white paper also recommends that CMS consider providing financial incentives to providers, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, and commercial payers to collect and share SDOH data to enhance the use of the aforementioned standardized data elements and improve outcomes.

To improve training and education on collecting, coding, and using SDOH data, AHIMA’s recommendation focuses on enhanced federal financial and technical support. This support should take advantage of relevant stakeholders’ learning collaboratives to share best practices and guidance while focusing on cultural competencies and varied approaches to ensure that different organizations can adequately train staff on how best to collect and code SDOH data, the recommendation states.

The final recommendation is concerned with bolstering the use of SDOH data for communication between providers and community partners. To do this, the white paper emphasizes the need for federal funding, infrastructure, and technical resources to support collaboration between the health and social services sectors, as a provider may hesitate to ask patients about their SDOH needs without having access to community-based support services to refer them to have those needs met.

The white paper concludes by highlighting that coordinated efforts across healthcare systems, social services sectors, and community-based organizations are needed to address the complex nature of SDOH data collection, coding, use, and exchange.

“The effective collection, coding, and use of SDOH data are vital to improving health and healthcare outcomes,” said Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, AHIMA's CEO, in a press release published alongside the white paper. “Health information professionals play a pivotal role in how SDOH data is collected, shared, and ultimately used to improve health and healthcare outcomes. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers, providers, and key stakeholders to advance comprehensive solutions to address the challenges illuminated by this survey.”