If you've spent any time in healthcare leadership or management, you know that patient outcomes hinge on more than just clinical care. Social determinants of health (SDoH)—everything from housing stability to education and food access—play a huge role in shaping health outcomes. But integrating those complex, often siloed factors into healthcare strategies has always been a challenge. That's where innovative solutions like an SDoH enterprise platform come in, turning diverse social and economic data into actionable insights.
An electronic health bill requiring medical records to note a patient's biological sex and any 'sexual development disorder' passed the Texas House on Friday. Many LGBTQ advocates told lawmakers they feared the measure would identify transgender Texans, potentially outing them to medical professionals who might be hostile to them because of their identity. Republicans pushing the bill, however, described it as an effort to give doctors access to important medical information so they can give patients the best care.
The CDC's airport screening program has detected multiple cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which has been linked to a large surge of the virus in China. Cases linked to the NB.1.8.1 variant have been reported in arriving international travelers at airports in California, Washington state, Virginia and the New York City area, according to records uploaded by the CDC's airport testing partner Ginkgo Bioworks.
With a fraction of beds in play for new arrivals, waiting room patients — even some arriving by ambulance — are increasingly likely to be seen, examined and treated in the lobby. The consequences are as predictable as they are devastating: worse patient outcomes, fragmented care, longer hospital stays, ballooning costs and rising frustration and anger among staff and patients.
What does it mean for health outcomes when so many people don't believe in the doctors, drug companies and the public agencies who are there to treat us? What can be done to bring trust back?